
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 13, 1995                   TAG: 9506130092
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE REVITALIZES PLAN FOR FIELD HOUSE/ICE RINK

Roanoke Vice Mayor John Edwards has revived a proposal for an athletic field house with an ice rink that could be used by school systems and other groups in the region.

As Edwards envisions it, the field house and rink would be owned and operated by Roanoke, would be available free to city schools, and could be rented by surrounding school systems and other groups.

Edwards would not estimate the cost for a field house and rink.

In the aftermath of news that a proposed ice rink in Roanoke County might not be built, Edwards has expanded on an idea he first proposed last fall.

The county School Board has been negotiating with private investors for several months to build a rink at Northside High School, but those talks have not produced an agreement.

The county board has decided to proceed with the construction of a new gym at Northside without waiting on the rink negotiations.

Roanoke Mayor David Bowers and city School Board Chairman Nelson Harris have suggested that Roanoke be prepared to offer a site for a rink if the Northside talks fail.

City Council voted Monday to send the idea to the consultant studying a field house and possible renovations at Victory Stadium.

Frank Thomas, chairman of the county School Board, said county schools would be more interested in a field house than an ice rink.

Thomas said the county was interested in a rink built by private investors mainly because there could be savings on the Northside gym if the two facilities shared concessions, a lobby and parking.

The school system was not interested in building its own rink or starting its own skating program, Thomas said.

If Roanoke financed the field house and rink, it presumably would want them in the city. Edwards said his proposal is not linked to a specific site, but he believes it would be advantageous to have it close to Interstate 581.

Harris said he likes the idea of a regional facility, but city schools have no site readily available for a field house or rink. All of the large tracts at city schools are being used for ball fields or running tracks, he said.

Edwards said he believes an ice rink along with a field house could produce substantial revenue to help pay for the field house.

Staff writer Dan Casey contributed information to this story.

by CNB