Ahead of a work session on the Soldotna Field House next week, the Soldotna City Council on March 26 accepted a $1 million grant and celebrated the installation of signage on the front of the building. The city in March also announced a grand opening for the facility slated for Aug. 16.
“All things field house” will be the topic of a council work session at 4:30 p.m. on April 9, City Manager Janette Bower said. That session will feature an update on construction, funding, staffing, fee schedule and the work that remains before the grand opening in August.
The new signage that went up March 26, she said, “looks amazing.” Seen on March 31, the field house and the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex newly have signs visible from the road that read “Field House” and “Ice Arena,” alongside the city’s logo.
During the council’s meeting, they formally accepted and appropriated a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project. Bower noted that the move was “technical,” finally accepting congressionally designated spending secured some time ago by former Rep. Mary Peltola.
“This was a long process,” Bower said. “We worked hard to get across this finish line, and we’re super happy to have made it. The funding will be used to purchase the flooring for the field house.”
Soldotna Vice Mayor Lisa Parker said that some of the challenge with bringing in the funding were requirements both to use the money for construction and to meet stipulations that American construction materials be used. She credited Soldotna’s administration for finding a path forward and bringing the funding to the city.
The council also accepted a donation of $2,400 from the Friends of the Soldotna Field House.
A full recording of the meeting, and a livestream of the work session next week, will be available at “City of Soldotna” on YouTube.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
