The City Council and I received a verbal proposal at our June 15th Council meeting from representatives of the Eden Prairie Hockey Association who are interested in adapting the two outdoor ice rinks in Round Lake Park into two indoor ice rinks. Here’s what they look like now:
I am not sure what they might look like with a building over them. That’s what we are trying to figure out right now. I think the proposal is still in the developmental stages so it’s a little too early to say.
From the City’s perspective, we must balance the needs for indoor ice with the overall uses of Round Lake Park; the probable tree loss caused by the project; and the aesthetic comments of the neighborhood that lives close to the proposed site, as you can see in the photo (yes, those are homes in the background):
There are many interests to balance. If we can increase the supply of indoor ice in Eden Prairie with little or no negative side-effects, we ought to do it. I think that a more likely scenario, however, is that the Council will need to make a choice between balancing a potential community good with a set of community costs. It’s almost always a tough choice to make.
