LINO LAKES, Minn. – (March 10, 2017) – Since 1995, the James Metzen Mighty Ducks Grant Program has been helping improve the condition of Minnesota’s ice arena. Last fall, the Centennial Sports Arena became one of the most recent grant recipients. They are getting a new ice resurfacer. Their current unit runs on propane and produces carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide in an enclosed space can cause all sorts of health issues, and the its levels need to be constantly monitored. “Really, it’s a safety issue, since you don’t want to make anyone sick,” said Centennial Sports Arena Manager Nick Droogsma. “So if you have the chance to improve on something like that, you’d want to do it.” While they were awarded more than $82,000 in the Mighty Ducks grant, the cost of the new resurfacer is about $165,000. They are turning to crowdfunding. RELATED LINKS: “We’re coming to the game here to try to fundraise,” said Centennial Youth Hockey communication coordinator Chantel Scherman. The arena board is turning to Blaine Youth Hockey and their primary user, Centennial Youth Hockey, to help with their fundraising. Both organizations are donating to the cause. Even with donations from the associations, they are still about $60,000 short. To encourage personal donations, they offering t-shirts or sponsorship opportunities for their donors, as well as private zamboni driving lessons for some of their donors. They are hoping that current player’s families, former players, and the community come together to help them begin to the make the improvements and changes that the arena needs to stay strong for decades to come.
