Asheville approves $682,157 contract for temporary downtown skating rink

Asheville moved its downtown skating plan from concept to contract with a $682,157 award to B. Allen Construction Inc. for site work on a temporary rink at 50 Asheland Avenue. The rink will go in a municipal parking lot next to the ART Station and support recreational skating and inline hockey. Carrier Park remains tied up in Helene recovery.

The City Council approved the resolution on June 23, and the package authorized site preparation, set aside a contingency for unforeseen costs, and shifted federal grant money into the proper account to help cover the work. Most of the financing comes from a $526,569 Community Development Block Grant, with private donations also part of the funding mix previously outlined for the project.

Asheville Parks & Recreation Director D. Tyrell McGirt said, “Tropical Storm Helene left our community without a public skating rink...” The west side of Carrier Park, including the skating rink, remains closed after storm damage. The temporary Asheland Avenue site will serve as the home base for skating while the broader French Broad Riverfront Parks Recovery project continues.

Asheville has estimated Helene caused about $1 billion in damage to city-owned property and assets, and the French Broad Riverfront parks system sustained at least $25 million in destruction across more than 200 acres of parks, greenways and recreation facilities. Carrier Park first opened in phases, with the initial dedication in 2003 and a second phase in 2006, and its early buildout included a volleyball court, roller hockey rink, playground, basketball court, lawn bowling and trails. In August 2025, Asheville said the temporary facility would stay in place until a permanent one is built, and the city’s project page, last updated October 10, 2025, lists the plan as a temporary skating rink for recreational skating and inline hockey.