News
Ancon Construction to complete NIBCO Water and Ice Park This Fall
Posted: 08/01/2007
GOSHEN, Ind. – Local ice skating fans will have a new place to strap on their skates this winter at a new ice park, which is slated for completion by Goshen-based Ancon Construction in mid-October of this year. The outdoor three-building park with an ice rink and ice path will be located at 303 NIBCO Parkway, Elkhart.
According to Burne Miller, City of Elkhart assistant city engineer, the park’s design is the first of its kind in the U.S.
“Our park will have a skate path with a circular rink area, kind of a two-in-one. This kind of design is seen in Canada, but hasn’t been introduced yet in America,” he said.
The park has over eight miles of piping in the concrete for the refrigeration system that will make the ice, but Miller said it will still be more cost-efficient than other ice rink designs. “A skate path is more useable than traditional oval rinks, because there you always have that dead space in the middle,” he explained. “Why use more energy to freeze an area that’s not being utilized?”
A 13-foot-wide path will travel approximately 410 feet around and connect to a 90-foot round skating area. At one end of the park there will be a restaurant, which is also currently under construction, with a large picture window looking out on the skate path. A tenant for that space has not yet been confirmed.
Also on the grounds will be a warming hut with lockers, skate rental and a concession stand, also with windows providing clear views of the rink. During the summer, the circular portion will be used as a splash pad, and the path can be used for inline skating, both at no charge to the public.
Elkhart mayor Dave Miller conceived the project as an attraction for RiverWalk Commons. “Since we have two rivers, it’s a perfect location for a riverwalk, and we wanted to plan other things that we could have here in Elkhart as a feature of the downtown area to attract traffic,” stated Karin Frey, City of Elkhart parks superintendent. “There’s much more construction that’s being connected to this, including a restaurant complex and a hotel. It’s part of a downtown revitalization effort.”
Planning and construction of the park have gone well, according to Miller. “We’re quite excited to have a local construction company like Ancon work on this project,” he said. “We have a couple of outside consultants because it’s a specialty project, but it’s a team of mostly local people with a good reputation in our area. Ancon is very well respected in our engineering and construction community.”
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*To view an online version of this press release and download images, visit www.bjta.com/ancon.
About Ancon Construction: Ancon Construction was founded in 1975 and is an Accredited Quality Contractor, only the third firm in the state and the first in this region to receive this certification. Ancon is a design-and-build contractor that offers a full range of services, including planning, site selection and development, rezoning and code compliance, construction, remodeling and maintenance. For more information, call 574-674-9941 or visit www.AnconConstruction.com.
