Outdoor ice skating in Myrtle Beach? How a resident’s plea has gotten city’s attention
A resident’s decade-long mission to introduce an ice skating rink in Myrtle Beach could come to fruition if city officials feel it’s a worthy investment.
After resident Steve Elias appeared before the Myrtle Beach City Council last month pressing they consider implementing an outdoor, seasonal ice skating rink at a park somewhere in the downtown area during the fall and winter seasons, City Manager John Pedersen said the city has been in “fact-finding mode.”
“This piqued Council’s interest, especially if it could be used to help drive visitors to the downtown area in the fall and winter,” Pedersen said. “Council asked (us) to investigate the concept. We have done so and are continuing to do so.”
Pedersen said he will report his findings to city leaders on Thursday during the monthly workshop meeting.
Elias, a New Jersey native who participates in hockey leagues throughout the state and along the coast, told The Sun News the area would benefit from an ice rink. Citing limited areas to host winter sports, he said the rink could be used for games, tournaments, recreation, ice shows and birthdays.
Elias was also influential in opening the seasonal ice rink at the Myrtle Beach Mall in 2014. The rink — Ice at the Beach — ran from November to February and measured around 1,600 square feet with natural ice. Elias said the rink attracted more than 11,000 skaters, but the mall closed it down the following year.
While his ultimate goal is to see a permanent, year-round, two-rink ice arena opened in Myrtle Beach, he said he’s willing to take advantage of any opportunity to bring skating activities to the Grand Strand. With the closest rink in Wilmington and North Charleston, he said, Myrtle Beach is capable of maintaining the monthly and yearly expenses.
“That has been my ultimate goal since 2010,” Elias said. “Myrtle Beach is long overdue for expansion on their sports tourism offerings.”
Pedersen said no consideration is being given to a permanent rink, but officials are willing to discuss a temporary, seasonal option. However, if city officials decide to move forward with the seasonal option, this wouldn’t be the first time Myrtle Beach approved an ice rink.
According to City Spokesperson Mark Kruea, the city implemented a temporary ice skating rink in the winter of 1999 on the first floor of the Pavilion Parking Garage. The rink was open for nearly four years until it was forced to close due to escalating operational costs to keep the rink cold during a warm winter and a lack of interest from residents and tourists.
“Since the cost outweighed the revenue, we discontinued it,” Kruea said.
A small ice-skating rink was also set up in 2010 at Valor Park at The Market Common.
With an influx of residents moving to the area from cooler climates, Kruea said the city has received some interest throughout the years from those wanting to see an ice rink open in Myrtle Beach. Groups have also appeared before council with proposals to build a rink on the former Air Force base or near Coastal Carolina University, he said.
Kruea said the projects were pitched as a public-private partnership, but the public investment was more than the city had available at the time or was willing to invest. The facility would have required a significant amount of money to build with return on the investment not favorable to the city, he said.
“To my knowledge, the city has no plans to build a rink, but this Council hasn’t talked about it or been briefed on it,” Kruea said. “On the priority list of new public projects to build, an ice skating rink likely would not be at the top.”
Myrtle Beach City Council will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Myrtle Beach Sports Complex.
This story was originally published June 3, 2019 at 4:26 PM.
