Icy reception: Rink closure met with ire

Groups fighting last week’s decision to close the ice rink in Harrington, due to high maintenance costs, planned to meet Jan. 27 with a fair official and hope to meet with the governor soon to plead their case to keep the facility open longer.

The closing of Centre Ice Rink at the Delaware State Fairgrounds was the big topic of discussion over the weekend as five Delaware Raptors youth hockey teams, who call the fairgrounds arena home, participated in a tournament in Ocean City, Md., said Kristyn Clifton of Milford.

Clifton said she has a 9-year-old son who plays on a Raptors team and a 3-year-old who would play next year, if the state can be convinced to keep the rink open for a year or two while ice rinks planned in Georgetown and Dover can be constructed.

Five of the 11 Raptors teams participated in the weekend youth ice hockey tournament. 

“Having the hockey family together was appropriate,” Clifton said. “Our parents are fired up and ready to do whatever we can to keep the rink open.”

The Raptors board was scheduled to meet Jan. 27 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds with Danny Aguilar, general manager of the fair, she said. The group’s leaders had also reached out to arrange a meeting with Gov. Matt Meyer, Clifton said.

Mila Myles, director of communications for the governor, said she was not aware of a request for a meeting.

A decision announced Jan. 24 to close the ice rink prompted a flurry of opposition from people who use the facility, the only public rink in Kent County.

Centre Ice Rink is home to the Delaware Raptors, which has about 200 players, a men’s ice hockey league, a figure skating league and others. It is also home of the Salisbury University ice hockey team. 

Efforts are underway to open a multipurpose facility called Dover Civic Arena in central Delaware. The plan includes an ice rink. Organizers of the Dover facility scheduled a Thursday, Feb. 6 meeting with groups using Centre Ice Rink to see if they can be accommodated at the planned Dover rink, Clifton said. 

A petition posted on change.org calling for the rink to stay open had been signed by more than 3,700 people as of Jan. 27.

“Without prior notice to impacted organizations or any genuine attempt at dialogue, this decision will devastate southern Delaware’s access to ice programs, as there are no alternative facilities within a 75-minute drive,” the petition states. 

It argues the decision goes against the fair’s mission statement, which places community impact above profit. The fair board, however, defended its decision in a statement issued Jan. 24.

“The decision to close and repurpose the rink was not made lightly, and the fair recognizes the significant impact this transition will have on the athletes, families and organizations who have found a home at the rink,” it read. 

“The Delaware State Fair, in line with their board of directors, has made the difficult decision to close the Centre Ice Rink following the 2025 spring season,” the statement continued. “This necessary, but challenging business decision and board vote follows several years of financial concerns, including increasing repair costs and ongoing difficulty to keep up with maintenance needs that have become financially unsustainable for the fair.”

The rink has required $500,000 in emergency repairs since November, and $1 million in additional work is needed in the coming years, according to the fair board. The board said it had considered every option possible to keep the rink open, but none were possible.

The building will be converted into a multiuse event center for agricultural events, community gatherings, and concert and youth programming. It will also serve as a location for musicians, comedians, artists and other performers. 

“There are many opportunities for this space to be a staple in the community once again, and the fair hopes that all the families and community members can utilize this space in a new way,” the statement said.

During a telephone conference call Jan. 23, which was billed as a discussion of future programming, the groups that use the rink were shocked by the decision, which they were told was final. They offered to raise the money for repairs, but did not get any interest, Clifton said.

“It seems they don’t want the rink there,” said Chad Day of Rehoboth Beach, who has played for 16 or 17 years for the Kraken Beers team in the men’s ice hockey league. “It seems easier to just use it for storage or an events center.”

Day, who drives 45 minutes to play at the rink, said the fair should have anticipated the cost of repairs. He said he believes the rink was poorly managed and he would like to see Centre Ice Rink sold so that it could remain open. The next closest rink in Easton, Md., is more than 75 minutes away from his home. 

Clifton said the groups that use the facility will fight to keep it open.

“People want to see activity for kids, “ she said. “You’re literally just putting them out on the streets.”