Board Rejects Plan for Roller Hockey Arena at School

Plans for a roller hockey arena at the Wardlow School were shot down Thursday night by the school board, after neighbors predicted the arena would bring traffic and noise.

The Fountain Valley school board refused to waive its policy that prohibits roller sports on school grounds--even a vacant school site such as Wardlow.

The city of Huntington Beach and Kid Connection, a nonprofit youth group, had proposed the arena at the school at 9191 Pioneer Drive om Huntington Beach, and that city had approved spending $5,000 to help build it.

But Trustee Catherine Hacker, who lives near the school, called it a “bad idea.”

“I’m worried about the liability issue, and as a board member we have a fiscal responsibility. I was also concerned that there was no neighborhood support for it. The site was not a good site for a roller hockey rink.”