Our Community
Bonner county has always had an enthusiastic community of ice skaters and hockey players when the weather allowed. With the help from our community, The Pond will be the first ice rink in Bonner County.
Our Town
North Idaho Ice and the City of Ponderay have come together to bring “The Pond” to Bonner County this winter. Thanks to the City of Ponderay providing a wonderful location, this dream will be a reality, opening November 2024.
Our Business
An ice rink is a wonderful investment in the community, but it doesn’t come cheap. With the fundraising efforts from North Idaho Ice, this rink has been made possible by donations from businesses within our community. A special thanks goes out to STCU, Mountain Metal, Avista and Advanced Drywall Concepts for their continued support.
Our Project
Since the inception of our organization, we have been focused on bringing an attainable, affordable, and achievable ice surface to Bonner County. We’ve researched many possibilities and have what we feel is the best solution…
Envisioned is an outdoor rink that can be erected in the Fall of 2024. This includes a rink, boards, a chiller, a zamboni, and 300 pairs of rental skates. This will be a seasonal rink.
This fills an immediate need while a full-size rink is designed and built on the Field of Dreams. Once the Field of Dreams is up and running, this smaller rink will be used alongside the main rink. This will allow for increased capacity at the holidays as well as greater access for the public.
What’s Next?
Temperature as well as precipitation both negatively impact the ice.
In phase 2 we will focus on increasing the availability by building a full time covered facility to the field of dreams .
Want to get involved?
Our rink is built on the effort of our volunteers and community members coming together to make this possible. If you want to get involved and be a part of our project please reach out.
None of this would be possible without our generous sponsors.
We appreciate everyone who donated their time and money to making this rink a reality. Without all the continued involvement and excitement from our community none of this would be possible.
We would like to recognize a few of our sponsors who have gone above and beyond to make The Pond a reality.
Mountain Metals not only invested in our fundraising and also the use of their equipment and labor.
The Pond is being presented by STCU. We would like to thank them for their contributions to our efforts at a crucial junction.
Advanced Drywall Concepts drove fundraising efforts and major help in setting up The Pond for all of us to enjoy.
Advanced Drywall Concepts drove fundraising efforts and major help in setting up The Pond for all of us to enjoy.
Mountain Metals not only invested in our fundraising and also the use of their equipment and labor.
Avista showed their support by helping us setup and operate our lights. Setting us up to enjoy The Pond after dark.
FAQ’s
How will this be kept affordable to the public? Is this going to be subsidized by the government?
This is a facility that is meant for the residents as a new alternative activity. The more utilization the better. Ice rinks run in the black. They turn a profit. As such, we intend to keep costs low. We have been working with the City of Ponderay for initial funding and have established an excellent relationship to hopefully get this accomplished. We also intend to seek donations and grants to help not only with intial costs, but also with op[erational needs. This is a non-profit business. Once Phase/Stage 3 is established and secure, we inted to return a percentage to the City of Ponderay to further develop community recreational needs.
How is the Ponderay Community rink different from the proposed future rink at the Ponderay Field of Dreams?
The City of Ponderay and North Idaho Ice have always been of the opinion that we should start small with the ice facility, prove the interest and need and then grow it one step at a time. This rink is simply the first step in this progression.
The Ponderay Community Rink
- The Ponderay Community Ice Rink will open in November 2024 is not being funded by the local option sales tax. However, it will likely end up at the Field of Dreams in the future and will continue to operate as an ancillary rink for outdoor community and holiday skating even once the indoor ice facility is constructed.
- This very affordable rink is a +/- 138’x80’ uncovered outdoor rink and comes with a Zamboni, chiller, mats, boards and 300 pair of rental skates. This rink will cost approximately $200,000 to get it up and running for the 2024 season.
- The Ponderay Community rink will operate during the holiday season for community skating and some organized events in the off hours. • This low-cost option gets us operational now! Additionally, it lets us test the water, build interest and demonstrate community need before the Field of Dreams facility is constructed, which is substantially more expensive.
Field of Dreams Ice Arena
The City has purchased a full set of boards for a NHL sized ice arena which will be used in the future indoor rink at the Field of Dreams. They are being stored and still intend to be used for that purpose.
The Ponderay Field of Dreams conceptual design includes an enclosed ice arena that will be constructed in phases.
The proposed community rink does not replace this facility .
The City Council has indicated that the next Field of Dreams phase is slated to continue construction from the south end of the facility to the north. This would likely include phase one of the future ice arena.
Future phases of the Field of Dreams development hinge on continued passage of the Ponderay Local Option sales tax for funding, which goes back to the voters in November of 2024.
I have been hearing about an ice rink in Bonner County for years. Is this really going to happen?
Yes!!! The City of Ponderay and North Idaho Ice are so pleased to announce that a holiday ice rink WILL be open from Thanksgiving break through mid-January in Ponderay. The rink will be located on City property at the corner of Moonflower and Kootenai Cutoff Road near Highway 200.
Are there rental skates available?
Yes! we have over 300 pairs of rental skates available to the public. We also have helmets and skating-aids available upon request.
How can I help ensure that this rink will remain in the community for years to come?
Silent and live auction donations are needed for our fundraising events. If you are able to help with this, please contact KayLeigh at Ponderay City Hall ((208) 265-5468) or Mountain Metals ((208)263-6031) for additional information.
The City of Ponderay and North Idaho Ice are organizing a series of fundraising events now through May of 2025. Watch the North Idaho Ice and City of Ponderay websites and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on fundraising events and to track our fundraising progress.
Monetary Donations can be dropped off at Ponderay City Hall or Mountain Metals made payable to North Idaho Ice or on GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/ponderay-community-ice-rink. North Idaho Ice is an approved 501c3 non-profit, EIN 87-2902087.
Rink Sponsorship opportunities are available now!
Tickets and Sponsor Tables are available now for our June 1st fundraiser at Ponderay Event Center. Contact KayLeigh at Ponderay City Hall or Mountain Metals for additional information.
Bonner County has Ice
We are excited to invite Bonner County to come out and skate on The Pond this winter.
Book your tickets today!