The Public Comment Period is Now Closed

The St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation has proposed a multi-purpose ice complex in Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park. The public comment period is now closed.

St. Louis Ice Center (SLIC) Project Highlights

** The St. Louis region needs more ice facilities. The SLIC would be a step in the right direction.

** The SLIC would support all kinds of recreational activities and promote overall health.

** The SLIC would enhance the park and not take away from anything currently there. The facility would sit on less than two percent of the park’s 2,100+ acres. The current space is an empty field with a storage shed.

** The facility and land surrounding it would be developed in an environmentally-conscious way.

Q&A with St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation Chairman Patrick Quinn

Click the image below for Patrick Quinn’s interview on KSDK-TV

Click below for Patrick Quinn’s interview with John Hancock & Michael Kelley on KMOX Radio

Click below for Patrick Quinn’s interview with Tom Ackerman on KMOX Radio

Q: Why is this facility being built?



A: There are so many things to consider, but I circle back to two main points:

#1) The St. Louis region needs more ice facilities. Our area has more than 4,000 amateur hockey players and, simply put, there are not enough rinks. Many young people are forced to practice long before the sun comes up and very late at night, which creates bad habits and puts families in challenging situations.

#2) The SLIC would support many recreational activities and promote overall health. In addition to ice hockey, the public facility would offer figure skating, speed skating, ice dancing, synchronized skating, indoor field hockey, floor hockey, indoor lacrosse, indoor soccer, in-line skating and much more. Visitors would suddenly be introduced to new exercise options as they spend time in the park.

Q: Why was this location chosen?

A: A lot of things run through my mind, but I would narrow it down to these three ideas:

#1) The SLIC would enhance Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park and not take away from anything currently there. The proposed complex would be on 40 acres, which represents less than two percent of the park’s 2,100+ acres. That two percent is not currently being used for used for recreation. In fact, today it’s an empty field with a storage shed, gravel road and is bordered on one side by railroad tracks.

#2) Residents throughout St. Louis region can easily access the park from major interstates and Highway 141.

#3) The facility and parking around it would be developed in an environmentally conscious way. The Ice Center would add more than five new acres of water habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife through the creation of two detention lakes that don’t exist today. The facility has received its approval from the Army Corp of Engineers as all jurisdictional wetlands have been preserved, undisturbed and are incorporated alongside the new Great Rivers Greenway Trail.

Q: Don’t other parks in the area have a similar set-up?



A: Yes, most ice rinks in our area are in or adjacent to parks. What would Forest Park be without Steinberg? Or, Queeny Park and Kirkwood Park be without their rinks? There is growing enthusiasm for hockey in our region, and we have a significant shortage of ice rink space.

Q: How would this facility help our region?



A: Through the hosting of tournaments and other high-profile events, the SLIC would bring thousands of people to the St. Louis region. That’s good for our hotels, restaurants and just about any type of business you can think of. The St. Louis region is an incredible place to live, work and play. Why not bring folks from all over the United States here? Let’s show them everything we have to offer.

Q: Who would own and operate this facility?

A: The facility would belong to St. Louis County. The St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation would lease the land and be responsible for operating/maintaining it.

Q: What about the history of ice sports in St. Louis?

A: The St. Louis region has a long-standing tradition and deep history when it comes to ice sports. In 2016, the St. Louis area produced five first-round National Hockey League draft picks. With only 31 picks in the round, that’s 16 percent of the world’s top hockey players. The success of our hometown Blues has certainly helped grow the interest of hockey on the amateur level. And that’s our primary focus here.

Additional St. Louis Ice Center (SLIC) Reports/Facts

Project Environmental Assessment (PDF) | Project Appendices (PDF)

** The SLIC would be 298,000 square feet.

** The facility would consist of four sheets of ice, three indoor and one outdoor. The event center ice sheet would have a 3,200 seating capacity, the training center ice sheet would have a 700 seating capacity and the two other sheets would have a 200 to 400 seating capacity.

** Also included in the facility proposal are a restaurant, locker rooms, training facilities, injury rehabilitation facilities, public restrooms, concession areas, mechanical/storage rooms, kitchen, hospitality room and office space for facility management.