St. Louis Blues’ new practice facility clears initial financing hurdle
The Blues are one small step closer to getting a new practice facility in St. Louis County.
As Jacob Barker of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported on Tuesday afternoon, the St. Louis Blues have cleared one of many hurdles as they seek to get a new practice facility built in Maryland Heights. The St. Louis County Industrial Development Authority gave preliminary approval on Tuesday for the issuance of up to $45 million in tax-exempt bonds that will go toward the St. Louis Ice Center, a new practice facility and recreational complex that the Blues hope to build in Creve Coeur Park.
It’s fair to argue that government funding for many professional sports facilities ends up benefiting no one but the team, this facility has the potential to provide major benefits to the general public. It would be owned by the county and leased to a non-profit organization called the Legacy Ice Foundation, and it would include three rinks in addition to the one that the Blues would use for practice–two for youth hockey and one for collegiate hockey.
Under an joint agreement planned by Maryland Heights and the Blues, the team would also commit to public programming and community events at the facility in exchange for financial help with construction and road improvement.
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The facility could certainly play a role in continuing to expand St. Louis’s role as one of the nation’s premier hockey powerhouses. With five St. Louis area players having been selected in the first round of last year’s draft, the community is already on its way to becoming a highly-respected pipeline for NHL talent.
The facility was scheduled to open in Fall 2018 when the Blues initially announced the plan to build it back in May of 2016, but it’s now probable that their timetable will be significantly delayed. The plan will have to clear more financing hurdles after this one, and the viability of the site is still in question due to a National Park Service stipulation that it be used for outdoor recreation only.
Next: Craig Berube expected to join Blues as assistant
While the Blues’ current practice facility, the IceZone in Hazelwood, is in solid shape, it’s part of a facility–the St. Louis Outlet Mall, which was formerly known as St. Louis Mills–that is largely abandoned when Blues fans aren’t flocking to the mall to watch open practices. It’s unknown how much longer the mall will stay operational, and it’s an unnecessary commute for most players and coaches, many of whom live in West County or in the Clayton/Brentwood area.