According to an M-NCPPC proposal provided to the council, one sheet of ice at the new IcePlex would be maintained year-round, and a second sheet of ice would only be maintained from October to April each year. Basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and indoor soccer are some of the sports that could be hosted on the “dry floor” at the facility from late spring to the end of the summer during a time of year that the proposal refers to as the “off-season.”
“There really is no off-season when it comes to skating,” local figure skating coach Abigail Snyder told Bowie Living. “During the time when there are no competitions or hockey tournaments is when our skaters do their most intense training.”
“On the figure skating side, we have national competitions that continue into June,” Snyder explained. “Many of our skaters are looking forward to finally being able to do that training in Bowie rather than having to travel far to other rinks that offer more expensive ice times.”
“We also have very popular summer camp programs that take kids out of the heat to experience something new,” Snyder shared. “Being able to have teams and skaters train on one sheet of ice while camps are running on the other sheet is a scheduling opportunity that we are eager to implement once we have availability.”
“I’m anxious to hear the proposal because it may address some of our recreation capacity issues, but there are a lot of unanswered questions,” District 3 Councilmember Adrian Boafo explained to Bowie Living. “We need to understand the cost to implement, the impact to the construction schedule, as well as changes to the anticipated annual operating cost and revenue for the new facility. We also need to determine if the change in use is permitted under the terms of the bonds that were issued to pay for construction of the IcePlex.”
Many Bowie residents have expressed concern about traffic and safety along Church Road and the potential impact that projects like the IcePlex will have on traffic.
“Church Road runs through and along portions of District 3,” Boafo said. “My constituents are going to want to know if the proposed changes will create more traffic.”
The fact that M-NCPPC is presenting the proposal is significant. The city has relied on outside vendors in the past to study options and costs for recreational facilities, but M-NCPPC became involved because of possible partnership opportunities with the city over the management of the new facility.
“We have to figure out how costs, revenue, and responsibilities are split in a partnership,” Boafo explained. “One opportunity I would like to explore is whether or not a partnership with the county might help bring additional road improvements to Church Road. That would be great for District 3 residents.”
Construction of the Bowie IcePlex is expected to be complete by the fall of 2021.
Monday’s meeting will be hosted virtually for councilmembers and other participants. Residents can see the meeting live online, on Verizon Channel 10, and on Comcast Channels 71 and 996. Video of the meeting will be posted on YouTube (most likely by Tuesday).
Testimony for public hearings or comments for the Citizen Participation portion of the meeting will be accepted via email at cityclerk@cityofbowie.org or via text at 240-335-3282. Comments must be received by 7 p.m. Monday to be included in the meeting.
Click here to see the M-NCPPC presentation.
Click here to see the agenda for Monday’s Bowie City Council meeting.
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