Thursday, April 25, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
The number of public ice rinks in Las Vegas will triple once a $7 million project is completed later this year.
The Horn Co., owned by local builder John Horn, announced a project Wednesday that would increase the number of area ice arenas to four. The Las Vegas Ice arena, a double-rink facility, will be located just north of the Blue Diamond interchange off I-15.
Ground is scheduled to be broken on the 62,000-square-foot facility this summer with a completion time of four to six months.
The only other rink in Las Vegas outside of the Thomas & Mack Center is at the Santa Fe Hotel and Casino, where the Las Vegas Thunder practices.
Santa Fe Valley, a Santa Fe sister property to be built near the Galleria at Sunset Mall, also will include a new ice arena. Ground hasn't been broken on that project.
"There's a tremendous growth in ice skating the last couple of years in Las Vegas," said Horn, who came up with the idea when his son and friends struggled to find places to play hockey.
Horn's proposal started out as a one-rink arena, but he found the city's need for ice was greater than originally thought.
"As we got to analyze the need and demand for ice time in Las Vegas, we felt two rinks were more appropriate and cost efficient," he said.
Planned amenities include a restaurant, pro shop and eight locker rooms.
One possible tenant is the Thunder, which has a yearly contract with the Santa Fe.
While it's too soon for either party to commit, the Thunder and Horn have held discussions.
"We've talked to a number of groups about various arenas from a practice ice standpoint and have expressed an interest in working with them," Thunder general manager Bob Strumm said. "But before we do anything, the biggest thing is to see something real."
Strumm's desire to seek a new practice location stems from complications the Thunder has experienced at the Santa Fe this season.
"Practice-wise, we've been treated very well by the Santa Fe people, but their direction is changing a little and we may be looking for an alternative," he said. "It's becoming more and more difficult for them to handle our time slot.
"At the Santa Fe we're in there and out of there. With a new facility and proper dressing rooms you can do all your training and whatnot right there. The dressing rooms at the Thomas & Mack certainly are not up to the caliber of most other dressing rooms in our league. That facility was built for basketball."
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