KYRO begins second ice sheet at Frontier Arena in Kootenai County

Frontier Ice Arena’s single NHL-sized sheet has been stretched so thin that KYRO President Vince Hughes said the facility has “simply maxed out” its available ice. The nonprofit has now started work on a second sheet in Coeur d’Alene, a $5.3 million expansion that leaders say could change daily access for skaters, hockey players and families across Kootenai County.

KYRO said it has secured $1.7 million toward the project, leaving about $3.7 million still to raise, but the fundraising progress was enough to move construction forward. The new rink is planned as another NHL-size sheet of ice, and the overall project calls for nine locker rooms and seating for as many as 700 spectators. If the pace holds, the structure should be largely complete by fall.

The expansion is designed to relieve pressure on a facility that already hosts public skate, youth hockey, adult hockey, figure skating, Learn to Skate, curling, broomball and sled hockey. Frontier currently has one NHL-sized rink, five locker rooms, concessions and stadium seating. Public skate is held Tuesdays from 5:45 to 7:00 p.m., with admission listed at $5 and skate rental at $2, a snapshot of how tightly every hour on the ice is being used.

That squeeze has become part of the routine for skaters and coaches. Recent coverage showed that on busy Saturdays, figure skaters have had to use the party room for off-ice work because actual ice time is limited. Tyler Karchut of the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Academy said participation has grown, especially among adults in beer league play and younger players entering the sport, putting even more pressure on the only rink in town.

KYRO’s push also carries the weight of its own history. The organization was founded in 2000 to save North Idaho’s only ice skating facility from closing, and the original arena’s roof collapsed in late December 2008 after heavy snow. The rebuilt Frontier Ice Arena reopened in 2012, with leaders expecting that the community would eventually need more capacity than one sheet could provide.

Supporters say the second rink would do more than open more practice slots. Hughes said it could allow the arena to host about 16 teams at once, bringing more traffic to hotels, restaurants and retail stores in Coeur d’Alene. For families that have been forced to look outside the area for competitive or performance opportunities, the added ice could keep more of those trips, registrations and weekend schedules closer to home.