HAWTHORNE : Site, Financing Sought for Ice-Skating Facility

Hawthorne may be the site of an ice-skating rink by 1996, a Southern California rink builder said this week.

Pat Brisson, vice president of Ice Entertainment Specialties, said the company, which is co-owned by Los Angeles Kings hockey star Luc Robitaille, is considering sites near Rosecrans Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard.

“We’re looking at about six weeks to two months to put together a financing package and choose an exact site,” Brisson said.

The facility would be the third ice rink in the South Bay, which has seen enrollment in hockey and figure skating programs grow in recent years. The company operates the Iceoplex skating center in the San Fernando Valley, where the Kings practice.

The announcement came after company officials spoke Monday with city officials. Mayor Larry Guidi said he helped arrange the meeting because a friend suggested a skating rink would benefit city youths.

Last week the City Council said mounting budget problems may force closure of the municipal swimming pool and a youth camp this summer.

Guidi said budget woes will prevent the city from funding the proposed ice rink, which could cost $2 million to $6 million. But the mayor said Hawthorne would support the project through permit approval.

“This Iceoplex, if built, would be of benefit for the whole South Bay, not just Hawthorne,” Guidi said. “It’s important for us to help make this happen however we can because it would give kids from all over something positive.”