Huge: New Hockey Arena Being Built in Billings Thanks to Coal

This is huge news for Billings, Montana and hockey fans all across the state. They're building a new hockey rink in Billings...and even better yet- they're doing it with money thanks to the coal mine south of Roundup.

I first got wind that something like this was in the works when I attended a rally for Montana coal in Roundup a few weeks ago. Parker Phipps, the CEO of Signal Peak Energy which has the coal mine south of Roundup, was telling me how they were planning to donate millions of dollars to help build a hockey rink in Billings, Montana.

That'll be huge, I told him. Have you seen the hockey rink in Glasgow, Montana? People travel from all over the state to play hockey there. And that's small town Northeast Montana!

Phipps told me how a huge portion of their workforce lives in Yellowstone County, and investing in something like this is a great way to give back to the community.

The news is now official, according to a press release from the Yellowstone Ice Foundation.

Billings has taken the next step towards building a state-of-the-art ice arena. The new arena will be located at the Amend Park Recreation Campus (ARC) in south Billings. Through a City of Billings RFP, Yellowstone Ice Foundation, received the award to lease one of the newly established pad sites at ARC. Additionally, Signal Peak Energy came forward with $6 million dollars earlier this year to secure the project and allow Yellowstone Ice Foundation to pursue this location.

Taxpayers were recently asked to foot the bill for a project just like this, but thanks to Montana coal dollars- the private sector is helping to make it a reality.

Signal Peak Energy CEO Parker Phipps: “We are proud to be the private sector partner with the resources to help move this project forward. We are excited to partner with the City of Billings, Billings Parks and Recreation, South Billings Urban Renewal District to be the first project at ARC.”
According to the press release, Yellowstone Ice Foundation, a newly established 501(c)3 non-profit, will begin their capital campaign to match the Signal Peak Energy donation. Yellowstone Ice Foundation will be seeking other private sector partners, businesses and individuals to complete the $6M capital campaign.

Yellowstone Ice Foundation will establish a multifunctional indoor ice facility that will serve as a pivotal resource for enthusiasts of ice sports within our community. This facility is designed not only to attract junior amateur and professional teams, but also to significantly enhance existing programs in hockey, curling, and figure skating that are currently limited by space. The facility will feature flexible programming with multi-use spaces adaptable to various events and sports. It includes two ice sheets: one operational year-round, and the other convertible during the summer
for activities like indoor soccer and more.

Sean Gilmore, President, Billings Amateur Hockey League Board of Directors: "The BAHL is excited for new ice, and we look forward to partnering with Yellowstone Ice Foundation to provide safe, fun, and educational opportunities for ice sports and getting our players and coaches on new ice as soon as possible."
For more information, please visit www.yellowstoneicefoundation.org.