Tonawanda, N.Y. (WBEN) - Construction crews in the Town of Tonawanda continue to work away on building the new Paddock Chevrolet Ice Arena, which is going up next to Brighton Arena on Brompton Road.
The last structural beam needed for the new ice arena will be erected later this week for a facility that will host more than just hockey games for the community.
"We have figure skating, we're gonna do competitive skating tournaments, very exciting. We're gonna have a walking track in there for families, there'll be a restaurant," said Councilman Carl Szarek on Monday. "Moving across the street, though, we're gonna have a splash park, not just a little splash pad. This will be a destination for all of Western New York to come to. Looking forward to that. Pickleball courts for some of the older guys here, we're gonna have beach volleyball, a picnic grove, a regulation rugby field, a really exciting project."
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The project in the Town of Tonawanda started a number of years ago, but ended up stalling for a number of different reasons. However, through the work of not only the town board but help from Erie County Legislators and our State Assembly, the project is finally closer to becoming a reality.
"This project will change the town forever. The Town of Tonawanda now, there is something here for everybody," said Erie County Legislator John Bargnesi on Monday. "No matter how old, how young or if you have a disability. This project will change the landscape of this town.
"We were all for the project, we were all for recreation, modernizing the Town of Tonawanda. ... I'm so excited to see what this brings."
In addition to area hockey programs and teams, organizations like the Gliding Stars of Western New York - provides adaptive ice skating lessons for kids and adults with challenges - are expected to be regular users of the new ice rink.
An attractive entrance to the facility will lead into a large multi-use common area that will be available for rental. The arena will be a year-round revenue generator for the community, since the ice can be covered for other non-ice events.
"I had the honor of serving on the town board and being Chair of the Parks and Rec committee, and I remember how hard these decisions that Mr. Bargnesi pointed out where we wanted to stay under the tax cap. We didn't want to raise taxes here in the town, so we couldn't benefit for the whole community," said State Assemblyman Bill Conrad during Monday's press conference. "We worked very hard, and we kept this idea of new nostalgia, because there was a lot of naysayers. 'Let's not get rid of this.' 'Oh, I really missed that.' And everybody talks about the memories they had as a child. My father sat here at eight-years-old when they built this first facility in 1958, that's 65 years ago. It's time for a change, it's time for new nostalgia for more people in this community to take advantage of."
The ice rink that will have a capacity of up to 600 people is expected to open first, right around March 0f 2024. The splash park and the other facilities across the street is scheduled to open later in 2024.
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