The votes are in, and Greensburg’s Kirk S. Nevin arena lost the competition for a $100,000 grant from the Pittsburgh Penguin’s Foundation.
New Castle’s Hess Ice Rink won the Penguin’s first “Renovate the Rink” contest by getting the most votes from fans.
Nevin Arena Manager Trudy Ivory said she wasn’t told the final vote count — only that Nevin ranked second out of the three competitors.
“Everybody in our organization of course was very disappointed,” Ivory said. “I think everybody was hoping it would work out for the best.”
She had hoped to use the money to replace rubber flooring that was damaged in a flood last year, to modernize the lockers, showers and restrooms, refurbish the bleachers and add some new storage areas.
It doesn’t look like any of that will happen without the grant, she said.
“It was the only way,” she said. “My budget this year just does not have any of those items on it.”
The city budgeted $57,000 for routine arena maintenance this year.
Ivory said it’s too early to tell whether Nevin will be in the running for “Renovate the Rink” next year.
She said she is “beyond grateful” to the fans who supported Nevin during the voting.
“The people were just fantastic, the constant positive comments I got every day,” she said. “It was nice to see the community come together.”
