 |
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Home | Search | Browse | About IPO | Staff | Links |
|
Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena: by Lisa M. Gann-Wick Intergovemmental cooperation is a daily occurrence at the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District. For example, the Recreation Department shares or rents building space with the three local school districts, and the administrations consults with local and regional officials on many land acquisition projects and proposals. One of the most unique intergovernmental cooperative efforts is the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Ice Arena. The Ice Arena's extraordinary agreement with the local high school allows residents to get the most out of their tax money. The Ice Arena was built on land owned by Homewood-Flossmoor High School District 233. The High School agreed in 1976 to donate the land to the Park District, in exchange for 540 hours of free ice skating time annually, forever. During negotiations with the School District, the Park District conducted a feasibility study to determine the need for an ice arena. The feasibility study found the south suburban Chicagoland area one of rapid growth, with a tremendous interest in hockey and a strong interest in figure skating. There was a definite need in the Homewood-Flossmoor community for an indoor ice facility.
Ice Arena Manager Tom Kurow said, "I feel our situation is unusual in that the High School now offers Ice Skating as part of its physical education curriculum. Because of its location, Homewood-Flossmoor is the only high school with an ice arena on its campus." Homewood-Flossmoor High School is the only school in Illinois to offer ice skating to students as part of the regular curriculum. Currently, the high school has 35 classes per week at the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena, with at least 35 students per class. This covers a 15-week period throughout the year, which totals nearly 19 thousand annual visits by high school students alone. Kurow says in the beginning, the Ice Arena numbers were not as high as anticipated. "Skating was at a peak in 1969, but by 1974 or 75, seven indoor ice rinks had closed in the Chicagoland area. This was because there were too many ice rinks and not enough diversified interest." Kurow states that most Chicagoland indoor ice rinks in the mid 70s offered primarily hockey programs and leagues, and not enough figure skating lessons or programs. By 1980, Kurow says Homewood-Flossmoor had expanded its programming to encompass all areas of skating, bringing the number of registrants in both hockey and figure skating programs to peak levels. "The Olympic Games always give us a boost with great exposure. Since 1980 our numbers have been climbing, a lot of which is thanks to the high school's participation and our ability to adapt to the growing demands of our community." Many of the students who take ice skating as part of physical education at Homewood-Flossmoor High School proceed with
lessons and activities at the Ice Arena for several years. In fact, many professionals skated or practiced regularly at the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Ice Arena: Chris Chelios of the Chicago Blackhawks, Eddie Oleczyk of the Winnipeg Jets, Terry Banghart who stars as Barbie in the Ice Capades, and at least three Olympic Bronze Medalists—the pairs team of Jim Mills and Colleen O'Conner and David Santee. Intergovernmental cooperation with the Ice Arena spans other areas as well. The Homewood-Flossmoor High School Hockey Program uses the Ice Arena for practices and games. Most local park districts within a 10 to 15-mile radius of Homewood-Flossmoor advertise the Ice Arena's lessons and programs in their brochure. In exchange, the Ice Arena allows these districts to register for programs at resident rates. Local school districts rent the Ice Arena at a special discount rate, which is mutually beneficial. The schools receive low cost ice skating to supplement existing physical education curriculum, and the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena promotes further interest in other figure skating and hockey programs. "I think another great cooperative effort is the fact that SSSRA, the South Suburban Special Recreation Association, skates here once a week. This is an opportunity for children with special needs to gain skating skills prior to mainstreaming them into other areas," said Kurow. The Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena has become a viable source of entertainment for the community and South Suburban residents, which is evident in the thousands who participate each year. The overall number of user visits at the Ice Arena increased by 25 percent from 1986 until 1990. More than 120,000 persons visit the Ice Arena each year. The Ice Skating Institute of America (ISIA), the national governing body for recreational skating, recently ranked the H-F Ice Arena second in the nation in figure skating registrations for 1991. The Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena consistently ranked in the ISIA's top twelve for the past 8 years. In 1991, they were second only to Fairfax County "Virginia, a community of 100,000. "It's nice to know we're ranked right up there with the big guys," said Tom Kurow. Ice skating entertainment is diversified at the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena. Each year the rink hosts an ISIA competition for beginning and intermediate skaters, and a United Figure Skating Association sanctioned "Lady Bug Competition" for advanced skaters. Kurow said, "We held our 18th Annual Ice Show in last May. Each year the productions become more elaborate and the community really enjoys it. In fact, this year we had the largest audience ever." Overall, the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District feels the Ice Arena is one example of the type of cooperation that should exist between public bodies in order for residents to get the maximum service for their tax dollars. If more public bodies cooperate on joint ventures like the Homewood-Flossmoor Ice Arena, there would be increased recreational opportunities for residents.
About the Author
|
|
|