Greensburg ice rink sees record attendance after renovations, improvements completed last year

GREENSBURG, Pa. — It was a busy Monday morning for skaters at the Kirk S. Nevin Arena in Greensburg. Students are still home on winter break, which is always a popular time for people to hit the ice.

It’s been place for people in Westmoreland County to go and have winter fun for generations.

“We’ve been coming here since I was like 10 or 12,” said Cali Kirchner, 16.

“As a kid we’d come every Friday and Saturday night in the wintertime, " added David Kester of Greensburg.

But in the last 16 months, the ice rink says it’s seen more people than ever after they went through $3 million of renovations last year.

In summer 2023, the ice refrigeration system was replaced. It was 27-years-old, and replaced with a new system that’s less costly and more environmentally friendly. The project also brought the opportunity to replace piping, the concrete floor under the rink, and new heating for the lobby. A lot of the funding came from grant money and Covid-relief dollars.

“We were able to put a large investment in something that’s going to be here for the community to use for many years to come,” said Glenn Moyer, Supervisor of Greensburg Parks and Recreation.

Moyer said the rink has seen record attendance. The rink hosts the Westmoreland Hockey Association, which has 13 teams this year. Moyer said that is the most he’s seen the association have.

Also, more people are coming out for public skates.

“Just Sunday we had 250 skaters here for a Sunday public session, so it’s been awesome,” Moyer told Channel 11′s Andrew Havranek.

“I showed up, I didn’t think it would be bad that me and my family were here like five minutes late, and there was a line out the door,” said Jacob Biehl of Irwin, who was at the arena Sunday. “I’ve never seen a line that big here. It was crazy!”

Moyer said the city has focused on recreation — like ice skating — to keep and attract people to the area. He said when more people come to the rink — more local businesses benefit, too.

“It’s great,” he said. “It makes you feel good that we have a healthy community of hockey user and skate users. It’s been awesome.”

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