What you need to know:
- A community center and ice rink in Big Lake that hosts thousands of users each year will close next year unless the Matanuska-Susitna Borough buys it, officials said. The volunteer-run facility’s only employee, Bill Haller, is moving out of state to care for a sick family member. The Big Lake Lions Club currently owns and operates the facility.
- The Lions keep facility costs down by using an air-cooled ice system and relying on volunteers. Borough staffing requirements and potential upgrades would increase the costs, but would also expand services to the community. The changes would also likely result in an increase in user fees.
- The Lions Club is offering to sell the center to the borough for $400,000, a fraction of its $3.8 million value. A final decision on the purchase will be made next year as part of the borough’s 2025 budget.
BIG LAKE — A volunteer-run ice rink and community center in Big Lake with thousands of annual users will close next year if the Matanuska-Susitna Borough doesn’t agree to buy it, organizers say.