Dale City, Va. –– On the day the Prince William Ice Center collapsed after a snow storm last February, emergency crews, skaters and the center’s owners couldn’t believe it was gone.
The weight of the snow on the center’s roof caused the building’s steel supports to buckle and the roof to collapse.
Those inside said they heard strange noises and said they could see twisting steel just before the roof fell. The sights of twisting steel sent everyone inside running for their lives.
They all made it out safely, but it marked an end a building that since 1996 provided a place for children, parents, hockey leagues and others to enjoy a day on the ice.
Now there are plans to rebuild the center in the same spot it once sat, near the intersection of Dale Boulevard and Ridgefield Road.
“It’s a great concept. Nobody is going to think we are an anonymous warehouse anymore,” said Pam Hutzler, co-owner of Prince William Ice Center.
The new rink could be open as soon as the fall, according to the organization’s Facebook page.
When it opens, it will look a bit different than the old center did, with new amenities and a new façade, according to Hutlzer.
Area business leaders say the newly re-styled rink will provide new opportunities for the center’s owners to try new things.
“It gives the rink an opportunity to change their vision and really to see out some ideas they haven’t been able to put together before,” said Rebecca Barnes, with the Prince William Chamber of Commerce.
Construction is expected to begin at the site in later this month or early February.
