When the Kiwanis 4-H Ice Center’s mortgage was approved for nine years in 2005, it was thought by some that the project wouldn’t be able to pay it off it’s debts in time, according to Dave Spencer, former Yankton Area Ice Association (YAIA) board member..

“Nine years ago we weren’t sure we were going to make it,” Spencer said. “We were told at times before we built it that people wouldn’t use the facility and that we’d probably go broke and we’d never make that kind of money.”

However, the opposite turned out to be true, and the $750,000 owed on the facility has been paid off in full.

Donors and skaters alike will have an opportunity to celebrate this accomplishment Saturday with the Burning of the Mortgage Gala Event. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. and will feature an open skate party, a ceremony and a meal afterwards.

One of those who has been using the facility ever since the beginning is 17-year-old Tyler Wenande.

He began playing hockey with the YAIA when the ice arena first opened up in Yankton.

“I watched hockey a lot when I was a kid,” Wenande said. “And when I heard it was coming to Yankton, I decided to do it.”

He added the addition of the arena has had a positive impact on his life.

“It’s been something to do in the winter, get together with your friends and have a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s been nice to have some success this year and that makes it a lot better.”

YAIA board member Julie Perakslis said she witnessed firsthand the advantages Yankton’s ice complex had over others when her son became involved in hockey.

“It was the first year playing peewee hockey — which was 6th grade for him — and he’d never been on skates before, let alone put a stick in his hand and taken a puck down the ice,” Perakslis said. “We’d looked into putting him on a hockey team when we lived in Dallas and it was $11,000 for the team — which you were looking at at least $1,000 for your player. We looked into it in Georgia and it was $1,000, and here it was like $100. For $25 they’d rent him the uniform and then they put him on the team and taught him to skate with the team. ... It’s a really inclusive program and supportive program.”

YAIA Committee Registrar Rhonda Schenkel said there’s been a lot of growth during that nine-year period.

“We started out with just a boy’s JV team to begin with and that had just 23 kids on it,” Schenkel said. “Right now, with everything, there’s 199 kids.”

Schenkel said the mortgage retirement is a huge milestone for those who have stuck with the program.

“It’s a big relief,” she said. “It’s an accomplishment for several of the committee members and old members that stuck with us until the end to make sure and see it become a reality.”

Spencer said the ice complex has lived up to all expectations.

“The facility’s done everything we told the public that it would do,” he said. “It’s created an activity for our youth and our adults, it’s brought people to town and it’s brought visitors overnight to come and play hockey games and state tournaments.”

He added that paying off this debt is a testament to how the area has supported the endeavor through the years.

“I think it’s a proud moment for the community,” he said. “They stepped up and believed in the dream. It means a lot that people in the community can say they all had a part in enhancing the lifestyle of Yankton residents.”

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For more information on programs offered with the YAIA, visit http://www.yanktonice.org/

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