PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo could be facing an ice shortage in a few years.
Not the kind you drop in your drinks, but the kind you skate on.
Portage city councilmember Nicole Miller brought up the problem at last night’s meeting at Portage City Hall.
She says the closure of Wings West and its two ice sheets earlier this month due to mechanical problems, and the expected closure of the three sheets at Wings Event Center in 2028 when the new Kalamazoo Event Center opens downtown could mean less availability for local teams and national events that need large ice rinks.
“There is not a set plan on what is going to be done with Lawson Ice Arena so that one it’s kind of up in the air right now.”
She says it would also be a blow to the local tourism economy.
“Kalamazoo County sees the highest number of yearly hotel nights due to ice activities, and so with losing 5 of 6 sheets of ice, and then only gaining 2, it’s still going to be a loss of about half of our ice sheets. You know it’s the biggest provider of room nights for our hotels when people come for those events, they shop they dine they use entertainment so all of those revenues are at risk,” says Miller.
She learned of the problem at a meeting of Discover Kalamazoo and she says she is working with Portage city staff, looking for ways to address the issue.
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