Sky truly the limit for community center

To the Editor:

It is with great excitement that we acknowledge the upcoming decision in regards to the view of what the Fairmont Community Center will look like. This is a key moment in time for our community, and quite frankly, our region, as this concept will accommodate a wide array of people that will not only stay in, but also come to our community to invest their time in wellness, personal improvement and mental health. Likely unknown to many, the ice component plays a major factor in volume and traffic to Fairmont as there are many events throughout the winter that bring significant volumes of people together over a short 4-5 month period of time through open skate, Rock on Ice, school district skating events and other opportunities.

Positive community impacts of ice include:

• Out of the 3,750 people that participated in 2021-22 open skate and Rock on Ice events last season, over 70 percent of those participants were from communities within a 40 mile radius and exhausted the 200+ available pairs of rental skates over and over again.

• Nearly 300 hockey players make up the 10 hockey teams and/or the CER hockey program that collectively range in ages 3-18.

• Annually, the Fairmont Youth Hockey Association (FYHA) hosts roughly 100 games per season, which brings an estimated 2,500 people to our community during the winter months.

Unlike the vast majority of ice arenas across the state where they are operated by the city they are located within, ours has been solely operated by the FYHA over the past 38 years. Operating an ice facility is not a new concept, it is an environment where the FYHS thrives.

With the positive impact this concept makes each year to so many, the current facility is at a crossroads due to an aged and diminishing infrastructure. After careful assessment, a third party quickly understood the dire situation the current facility and FYHA is in. The FYHA, a local non-profit started in 1984, has reinvested the chiller system to build bridges to get from year to year. Unfortunately, this is not a feasible, long-term or even intermediate strategy. The time to act is NOW as this is not only an investment in our community, but the many students and families that utilize this facility. Without action, we are greatly risking the availability and presence of this major community resource.

The sky is truly the limit for what this project can bring to Fairmont. We can’t wait to see this project come to life.

Mike Anderson and other Board of Directors

of Fairmont Youth Hockey

Association