MADELINE RAINERI | Reporter
The Lindenwood University hockey program’s potential future ice rink has been recently relocated, according to Fox2Now.
As of Nov. 1o, the project potentially found a new home in Maryland Heights near the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.
The previous proposal included plans to build a 250,000-square-foot ice rink with three indoor rinks and one outdoor covered rink. The multi-million-dollar complex would have found its home in Creve Coeur Park on an extra bit of land towards the entrance of the park.
The ground was broken at the proposed spot, but environmentalists and park-goers alike vehemently rejected the proposal and worked to halt construction indefinitely.
In September 2017, the project was on hold with no information regarding its process moving forward. The project required federal approval before it was allowed to move forward because of its location within a park, and according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, approval for the ice rink was blocked by the National Parks Service.
The ice rink would be a crucial addition to Lindenwood’s hockey programs, especially the women’s ice hockey team, which has NCAA Division I status, but no ice rink on campus, or at least near campus. The men’s ACHA Division I team could also potentially make the jump to NCAA Division I if the ice rink is completed because it will be less than seven miles from campus.
According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the ice rink’s developmental team called the Legacy Ice Foundation, expects that if the plans for a Maryland Heights location end up fruitful, the project should be done by summer or fall of 2019.
