Ice Rink

Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex recently hosted the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Women's Division 1 and Division 2 hockey playoffs. It was the third year in a row the championship tournament was hosted by the ice rink. The women's hockey playoff teams included the University of Delaware; Slippery Rock University; the University of Virginia; the U.S. Naval Academy; Columbia University; Rutgers University; California University of Penn; West Chester University; American University; Liberty University; the University of Pennsylvania; and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex invites boys and girls ages 4 to 9 to the ice rink Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for a Try Hockey for Free clinic to experience ice hockey for the first time and learn the basics of the sport in a fun, safe environment. Please arrive by 10 a.m. The event is part of Come Play Hockey Month. The program, designed to provide youth hockey associations a national platform to introduce children to the sport, is a joint effort between USA Hockey, the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs.

Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex is sponsoring a Business After Hours event for Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce members on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. Chamber members can skate for free from 5 to 6:20 p.m. during the event, and Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex will be giving away other prizes, including a one-hour private ice event and two birthday parties. Chamber members should register to attend to be eligible to win the chamber's prize drawing of $3,000.

The former executive director of the city-owned ice rink has filed suit against the nonprofit group operating the rink, alleging breach of contract, defamation, slander of credit, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Walter E. Dill Sr. is seeking a total of $2.3 million - the value of the ice rink - in compensatory and punitive damages from the Washington County Sports Foundation Inc. and the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex, according to a civil suit filed in Washington County Circuit Court on Thursday.

HAGERSTOWN - The Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex will remain closed until city officials can find another organization to manage the facility. During a Friday press conference, city Administrator Bruce Zimmerman said the city recently decided to terminate its contract with the Washington County Sports Foundation, the group that had managed the complex for the past 10 years. In the meantime, city officials will try to find an interim manager so the $2.32 million facility can open by mid-September, Zimmerman said.

11/13/96 By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer Hagerstown City Council members will vote next week on funding and a location for a proposed ice rink at Hagerstown Fairgrounds. Washington County Sports Foundation Director Walter Dill proposed having the rink built on the northern section of the stables area near Security Road in response to an earlier suggestion by the owners of a nearby home. Officials said moving the rink farther from the home, Greystone Manor, coupled with the addition of a berm and a row of 10-foot pine trees, should help eliminate the sight and sound of the rink from the home owned by Ray and Jackie Snouffer.

Faced with paying off the debt for the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex, the mayor and City Council plan to review the city's role in, and the financial status of, the ice rink. On Tuesday, city officials reviewed the proposed $114,000 subsidy for the ice rink, which is part of the proposed $64.8 million city budget for the 2000 fiscal year, which begins July 1. City Councilwoman Susan Saum-Wicklein asked city staff to look into alternatives for ownership and management at the ice rink.

By JULIE E. GREENE Staff Writer City Council members voted 4-0 Tuesday night to authorize a $3.9 million general obligation bond, of which $1.2 million could be used for construction of an ice rink at Hagerstown Fairgrounds. Council members also voted 4-0 to buy the 68-acre fairgrounds from the Hagerstown-Washington County Industrial Foundation for about $1.3 million, with a stipulation that the city receive enough Program Open Space money from the State of Maryland and Washington County for the purchase.

The operators of Hagerstown's new ice rink received more assistance from the city on Tuesday when City Council members unanimously approved a $75,000 line of credit to help with startup costs. The credit will help the nonprofit Washington County Sports Foundation pay for furniture, fixtures and inventory for the pro shop, said City Finance Director Al Martin. The foundation needs the line of credit until its bank loan is secured, he said. The city would profit from the loan because the foundation will have to pay back the principle with 7 percent interest, Martin said.

The Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex is doing a little better financially this year than last, but unpaid utility bills still loom for the facility at the city Fairgrounds. Hagerstown City Council members were told about the financial situation at the ice rink during a presentation Tuesday. Council members are looking for a way to help the ice rink operators pay those bills. Gary Wright, chairman of the Washington County Sports Foundation that runs the ice rink, said the facility is expected to lose about $190,000 in the fiscal year ending Aug. 30, compared with the roughly $210,000 in losses the rink ran up in the previous fiscal year.

HEAL of Washington County is hosting a weekly walking group from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. every Saturday at the Fairgrounds Park, 351 N. Cleveland Ave., Hagerstown. Walkers meet at the small pavilion that is on the hill above the ice rink. Walks will be geared toward beginner and intermediate fitness levels. FitWalks is a free program, but advance registration for your first walk is required. See registration link at HealofWashingtonCounty .org. For more information, contact Jenny Fleming at 301-991-0899 or jfleming@healofwashingtoncounty.org .

The Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex invites boys and girls ages 4 to 9 to the ice rink Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for a Try Hockey for Free clinic to experience ice hockey for the first time and learn the basics of the sport in a fun, safe environment. Please arrive by 10 a.m. The event is part of Come Play Hockey Month. The program, designed to provide youth hockey associations a national platform to introduce children to the sport, is a joint effort between USA Hockey, the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs.

Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex recently hosted the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Women's Division 1 and Division 2 hockey playoffs. It was the third year in a row the championship tournament was hosted by the ice rink. The women's hockey playoff teams included the University of Delaware; Slippery Rock University; the University of Virginia; the U.S. Naval Academy; Columbia University; Rutgers University; California University of Penn; West Chester University; American University; Liberty University; the University of Pennsylvania; and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex is sponsoring a Business After Hours event for Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce members on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. Chamber members can skate for free from 5 to 6:20 p.m. during the event, and Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex will be giving away other prizes, including a one-hour private ice event and two birthday parties. Chamber members should register to attend to be eligible to win the chamber's prize drawing of $3,000.

Work crews were to begin milling and repaving the driveway to the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex at Fairgrounds Park on Tuesday, according to a news release from Hagerstown Department of Parks and Engineering. The driveway, running from the entrance on Security Road to the ice rink building, will be closed to all traffic while the work is being performed, according to the release. Motorists wishing to reach the ice rink must use the main Fairgrounds Park entrance on Cleveland Avenue, and access the building from the rear parking lots.

Ice rink announces new public skating times The Hagerstown Ice and Sports Complex at Fairgrounds Park has announced its new public ice skating times. The new times will begin Friday, July 10. The new times are as follows: o Fridays, 7 to 8:50 p.m. o Saturdays, 3 to 4:50 p.m. and 8 to 9:50 p.m. o Sundays, 2 to 3:50 p.m. o Mondays, noon to 12:50 p.m. Broomball will move from Friday nights to Sunday afternoons from noon to 12:50 p.m. Sneakers, helmets and gloves are required.

This is my last column for The Herald-Mail. I will be leaving the company Thursday to take another editor position at a Maryland newspaper. It was a tough call for me, but there comes a time when moving on and tackling a new challenge can be exciting and invigorating. So I thought I would spend some of this time recounting a few of the more meaningful experiences I've had during the past 22 years in Hagerstown. The newsroom is filled with top-notch professionals and the Hagerstown community is a terrific place to work.

Cub Scout Pack 22 of the Mason-Dixon Council headed to the Hagerstown Ice & Sports Complex at Fairgrounds Park on April 12 for an afternoon of learning and fun. The boys learned about the types of ice skates the rink rents and saw a skate sharpening demonstration. Prior to public skate, the pack learned how the Zamboni operates and how it makes ice from hot water. After a short question and answer session, the pack members had a chance to sit in the driver's seat before going back inside to lace up and hit the ice. During the public skating session, the pack members and parents learned some basic moves such as gliding, dipping and stopping then spent time playing a game of limbo on the ice. For all this afternoon fun, the pack members will receive a belt loop achievement award for ice skating.

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HAGERSTOWN - Jeff Barbour played hockey growing up, but he and his buddies depended on Mother Nature to provide the ice. Barbour's family moved around because his father was in the U.S. Air Force, but grew up mostly in Waynesboro, Pa. Barbour said they played only when the local ponds froze over. The first time he was in an ice rink was when the one in Zullinger, Pa., opened about 10 years ago. His son, Brody, who was 5 years old at the time, "caught the bug" after seeing a Washington Capitals hockey game and asked if he could play.