Ice Chalet to close

Jennifer Kho

COSTA MESA -- Parents are fighting to keep open the Ice Chalet Skating

Rink, which announced it will close in 16 days after 28 years as a

community treasure and a training ground for a number of Olympic ice

skaters.

“The rink is really an asset to the city and, if it closes, it will be

a real loss,” said Claudia Gardner of Costa Mesa. “This place doesn’t

look very nice, and they say if they had more money they could modernize

it and attract more skaters and hockey players. Providing an ice rink is

an important thing for the city because it helps keep kids off the

streets and gives them something to do. And the skaters at this rink get

the city a lot of recognition.”

Gardner is one of a group of parents who signed a petition urging the

city and C.J. Segerstrom & Sons -- the property owner -- to save the

skating rink.

Ice Chalet officials declined to comment and would not confirm the

closure is a result of financial problems. But parents speculated that

they could try to rally business for the rink.

An Irvine skating arena closed over the summer, and skaters who

previously used that rink have begun to skate at the Ice Chalet, Gardner

said.

“Maybe they would make more money if they waited it out,” she said.

Robert Pesqueira, a Fountain Valley resident whose granddaughter,

Alyse, 13, has been skating at Ice Chalet for seven years, also signed

the petition.

“It will have a pretty devastating effect on us if it closes,”

Pesqueira said. “My granddaughter used to play soccer and skate, but then

decided to give up soccer to devote her time to skating. She skates three

or four times a week because she loves skating. She feels comfortable

here, and she has all her friends here.”

Ice Chalet owns the building at 2701 Harbor Blvd. but leases the land

from C.J. Segerstrom & Sons. Segerstrom officials said the rink just

isn’t making enough money to stay afloat.

“They came to us wanting to get out of the lease early, and we

accommodated them,” Segerstrom spokesman Paul Freeman said. “We hadn’t

raised their rent and weren’t looking to ease them out. Evidently, the

ice rink business isn’t doing all that well. I’m not sure what our plans

are. Obviously, we recently renovated much of the center, so what our

plans would be for any future renovation is not clear yet.”

Parents and skaters agree the rink, which doesn’t have bleachers or

many other amenities, is rundown. But they said they love the rink

anyway.

“I am so sad,” said Stacy Garcia, 13, of Fountain Valley. “I don’t

want to leave. I have friends here, and because it’s a small rink --

other places are more scattered out. . . . This is the first place I ever

skated, and I started when I was 5, so I have a lot of memories here.”

Stacy’s friend Jennifer Bui, also 13, said she doubts she will find

coaches as good as the ones at Ice Chalet at another rink, and she will

miss the coaches and her friends.

Some Ice Chalet patrons said they may not be able to afford ice

skating if the Costa Mesa rink closes its doors.

Michelle Moon of Fountain Valley said she spends more than $800 a

month for her 6-year-old daughter, April, to skate at Ice Chalet..

“I’m not sure if I will be able to drive so much farther away, and

other places are also more expensive,” Moon said. “I think we are going

to lose skating. And she has come so far in the last year.”