Politics & Government

Supporters Say Rink is More than Just a Place to Skate

From hockey players and figure skaters, to parents and the SF Bulls mascot, dozens turned out on Saturday at the Ice Center of San Mateo with one clear message: "Save Our Rink."

Children as young as 5 had their first taste of community activism on Saturday when they joined their parents, friends and fellow skaters at a rally in at Bridgepointe Shopping Center in San Mateo to urge the city to save the popular Ice Center, which is slated to be converted to retail space later this summer.

"What do you want the character of your community to be--strip malls or opportunities for families to have fun? " asked Rena Korb, who attended the rally with her husband and children.

Click on the video above for reaction from parents and skaters at Saturday's rally.

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Korb and her family were joined by dozens of other skating enthusiasts at the rally organized by a group of parents late last week in reaction to a decision by SPI Holdings, the owner of the Bridgepointe Shopping Center, not to renew the rink's lease.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, SPI Holdings, which has owned the center since 2005, plans to convert the space to retail. Although no specific retailer has been named yet, many at the rally believe the rink will be converted to a CVS store, while others cited Nordstrom Rack as the new tenant.

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The sticking point seems to be that the master plan for the shopping center requires the space be used as an ice rink, or similar recreational use.  Those that use the rink are confused and angry with the City of San Mateo for allowing SPI to amend the plan, allowing the company to put the recreational facility elsewhere in the city.

David Satterfield, a spokesperson for SPI told the Mercury News that the company has proposed making recreational improvements such as synthetic turf fields elsewhere in San Mateo and adding a bathroom at Mariner’s Island Park.

“We don’t need a toilet, we need a rink,” said Dina Artzt, a skater and mother of a hockey player.

Artzt added that families that come weekly to the rink also shop at the retail shops at Bridgepointe.

Artzt and Julie McAuliffe are two of the most ardent supporters of the rink. McAuliffe told Patch that the rink serves not just San Mateo but skaters from all around the Peninsula and beyond.

“On my son’s hockey team, about one-third of the players are from San Mateo, a third from Belmont, San Carlos, Pacifica, Half Moon Bay and the rest of the Peninsula, and a third come from as far as Roseville and Tracey.

“The community is passionate about this ice rink. Whether you play hockey here five days a week, or are in an adult league coming once a week or a family coming to ice skate during the Christmas holidays,  this is a great community facility,” said McAuliffe.

According to the Merc, Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, who trained at the Ice Center of San Mateo, has reached out to rink supporters.

“I’m saddened by the thought that a place where so many dreams are pursued and realized, including my own, is shutting its doors,” Yamaguchi said in a statement.


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