De Pere is pursuing renovations on its ice arena, which was built in 1974. Feb. 18, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — De Pere will continue operations of its ice arena, but the parks department and its tenants will need to look for private funds and additional revenue sources to make renovations and improvements.
The Common Council voted Wednesday not to contribute taxpayer funds toward ice arena renovations.
“We have a number of ADA issues too that we would love to get addressed,” said Marty Kosobucki, the director of parks, recreation and forestry for the city of De Pere. “But there’s issues ranging anywhere from flooring to HVAC to electrical to roof.”
If you walk in, immediately you’ll notice the ceiling, which has holes in it, needs repair. But what you might not see is actually under the ice. The whole heating system under there is shot, which means it can only be used during winter time.
“Right underneath the ice surface, you’ve got a a refrigeration system that’s there,” said Kosobucki. “However, underneath that refrigeration system is a heating system, which prevents the frost from going down into the ground. If we didn’t have the frost, we’d keep going down. Next thing you know, our building gets pushed up by about a foot.”
The rink has an estimated yearly attendance of 64,000 and serves the De Pere Voyageurs youth and high school hockey teams, as well as the De Pere Deacons adult hockey league and the Greater Green Bay Figure Skating Club.
The revenue from them covers some costs, but not enough to cover these improvements.
“We know the rink is not only a significant amenity to our area, but it has cultural and historical significance too,” said Kosobucki. “So, we don’t want it to go anywhere.”
The city will look at proposals with privately-raised funds to possibly contribute to making repairs in the future. And while there are other options in De Pere, the parks department says that even with the additions at Cornerstone, that it would only be able to handle about 30% of the De Pere Ice Arena’s use.
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