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Salt Lake hockey venue officially opens

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Posted: Thursday September 30, 1999 12:17 PM

PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Salt Lake Organizing Committee head Mitt Romney kissed the ice during the grand opening of The Peaks Ice Arena.

"I'm finally here, where it all makes a difference," he said during Wednesday's ceremony. "I'm here at the ice."

The arena will be a 2002 Olympic venue for men's and women's hockey, including the bronze-medal women's hockey competition.

The Peaks has been open for months, but officials postponed the opening ceremony.

"By the time we got the construction fully completed to the point we could hold a grand opening, we were too close to summer," said Max Rabner, a managing partner with the Seven Peaks Management Co., which manages the facility.

It was decided to hold the opening in the fall when ice events traditionally begin, Rabner said.

The grand opening took place on the competition rink, which will be able to accommodate about 8,700 spectators during the Olympics. The Peaks also has an indoor soccer arena and a second ice rink that will be used for practice during the Games.

After introductory speeches Wednesday, members of the Timpanogos Amateur Hockey Association and the Timpanogos Figure Skating Club skated around the rink with flags for the countries that will be participating in women's hockey.

The figure skaters and hockey players put on a demonstration, as did a contingent of speed skaters,

Mayor Lewis Billings was applauded when he told the crowd that The Peaks was built without raising taxes.

Financing for the $13 million facility included $2 million each from the city and Utah County. The Utah Sports Authority agreed to put up approximately $700,000 to pay the interest on bonds issued by the city and the county, and SLOC contributed $6 million,

Seven Peaks Resort gave nearly $2 million, including land and equipment.

As part of the opening ceremonies, women's hockey teams from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Calgary will play at the arena Friday and Saturday.

 

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