PITTSBURGH — Discussions about turning Hunt Armory in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood into a public ice rink have been going on for years, but it could become a reality as soon as November.
Before that, people will be given the opportunity to share their opinions about it on Monday and Wednesday during community meetings. Monday’s meeting will be in person at 6 p.m. at Calvary Episcopal Church’s Parish Hall on Shady Avenue. Wednesday’s meeting will be held virtually at 6 p.m. (CLICK HERE for information and HERE to join the meeting when it happens).
Hunt Armory on Emerson Street closed as an armory in 2013. Since then, plans for what to do with the landmark have been in the works, with the latest proposal including turning the 46,500-square-foot facility into the first public rink within the city limits in decades.
Construction could begin as soon as November, and the rink could potentially open by Thanksgiving.
Each year, the public would be able to use the rink every day from November to March.
The community meetings will allow people to voice any concerns they might have.
“I think it would be really exciting for them. I do think the city needs to figure out parking, but other than that, I think this would be really good for the community,” Priya Gopalan, who lives in Shadyside, said.
The Pittsburgh Penguins would take on all the costs of building the rink and operating it, with the goal of diversifying the sport of hockey after the team got a grant from the NHL and the Players’ Association to provide children from minority communities with more opportunities to play.
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