Local Ice Rink to Close in Coming Weeks

GURNEE, IL - The ice rink at RinkSide Sports will close next month after business owners said “catastrophic failures in virtually all of its operating systems” made it infeasible to continue operations.

The closure will mean many local hockey teams, including the RinkSide’s Maulers and Warren Township’s hockey team, will need to find new rinks to skate and play at, the Daily Herald reports.

Tilt Studio at RinkSide Sports, which is located at Gurnee Mills, will only be closing its ice rink while other portions of the entertainment center, including laser tag, black light minigolf, laser frenzy and arcade, will remain open.

RinkSide is owned by Nickel & Dimes Inc., which is based in Texas. Late last month, owners announced the ice rink would close on April 15.

“Over the last year, RinkSide has had numerous facility breakdowns that have caused the ice to shut down,” according to the announcement. “This has been aggravating to you, our customers, and to us as well.”

And over the last couple months, RinkSide has seen "catastrophic failures in virtually all of its operating systems,” according to the announcement.

“Under the best of circumstances, the ice rink would have to be shut down for months to redo and replace these aging systems,” owners said. “This would result in enormous costs in time, materials and labor. The decision was made that these costs were far too high for RinkSide to bear.”

RinkSide Sports has been operating in the red for the past three years and the rink has stayed open “because of the dedication of our employees and the loyalty of our many customers,” according to the announcement.

“It was certainly not for monetary reasons. You have all come to Rink Side when other options were available to you,” RinkSide wrote in a Facebook post. “Thank you for your loyal patronage. It was not an easy decision to close the rink down.”

Meanwhile, members Gurnee’s One Goal, a grassroots movement pushing for a new, well-maintained ice facility supporting hockey, figure, and special needs athletes, has been in touch with Gurnee Mayor Kristina Kovarik about bringing a state-of-the-art rink to Gurnee. Here was the mayor’s response:

I very much appreciate all the parents who have contacted me this past week. For the past year I have been working and meeting with the leaders of Gurnee One Goal to explore the feasibility of bringing a project to Gurnee that would include a state-of-the-art ice rink. From a Village perspective it is an economic development opportunity.
The equipment failures and closure announcement by Rink Side have accelerated these discussions. Over the last week, Gurnee One Goal has stepped up their efforts to find a solution both short and long term. I am using my experience with economic development to engage with investors and developers to pitch various opportunities. I assure you there is activity toward a solution!
This is not a Village project but I can use my position and time to bring together the right parties from the development community. After we get through several meetings scheduled next week, I will have a better idea of what is feasible and achievable. Business deals such as this are complex, expensive, and they take time. It's been discouraging to the various parties involved or trying to help to be the subject of disparaging remarks thru emails, phone calls and other social media pages. Negativity is not the best reflection on our community as I make the pitch for why rink operators and others should invest in Gurnee.
I appreciate your passion and commitment and know that you all want the best for Gurnee; we can do so much more working together! I will use Gurnee One Goal and the leaders of this group as the channel to communicate with the hockey and figure skating community.
The ability to finance and execute on a short and long term strategy is a critical differentiator for success. It will require us to work in a collaborative and cohesive manner towards the same goal. I really appreciate your positive thoughts and support to pull this off.

The news of RinkSide's closing comes months after another Lake County ice rink closed its doors. The Barrington Ice Arena, located at 28205 W. Commercial Ave. in Lake Barrington, closed last fall.

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