The Beaver County Ice Arena has skated to the short list of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ “Renovate the Rink” annual contest.

The “Renovate the Rink” annual contest, sponsored by PittCom (a construction industry organization) and the Pens Foundation awards a local ice rink $100,000 for repairs.

All ice rinks in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties were invited to apply for the grant. Beaver County Ice Arena, Belmont Complex Ice Arena, and S&T Ice Arena were chosen as the shortlist for this year’s contest.

The winner, determined by an online vote, will be announced March 9.

“After we applied, we were shocked at the amazing support from the people that use our rink; we really have an amazing group here, and they’ve really gone out and rallied up voters,” said Mr. Timothy Ishman, the Beaver County Director of Recreation and Tourism.

The ice arena applied for the grant last year; however, they did not make the shortlist. Hess Ice Rink in New Castle was awarded the $100,000 last year. This is only the second year the contest has been held.

Should the Beaver County Ice Arena be awarded the grant, Mr. Ishman said that he would want to meet with all of the teams and organizations that use the rink and gather their thoughts.

“When you are part of something, it is definitely a motivator to be a more active member when those in charge hear your opinions. That’s what we’re trying to do here,” said Mr. Ishman.

This does not mean that no thought has been given as to what some of the first projects would be. The locker rooms, lights, and lobby are among some of the first things that would be changed. However, the winning rink does have one year to work with PittCom to complete its renovations.

“The locker rooms at our rink haven’t been redone in 42 years, and in my opinion, the lobby and lighting looks very industrial and 1970s-like. I think that people would be on-board for some updates in those areas,” claimed Mr. Ishman.

Many of the hockey players and teams agree that these same renovations need to happen.

“I think everyone would definitely love to get better locker rooms. They’re outdated and need to be redone,” said Beaver Area sophomore hockey player Ryan Kenney.

Both Beaver Area and Blackhawk call the ice arena their home ice.

If awarded the money, the Beaver County Ice Arena’s goal would be to complete most of the renovations when the ice arena is closed between Memorial Day and Labor Day of this year. Voting is available online by visiting www.pittsburghpenguinsfoundation.org.