Kit Carson Park could soon be home to a new ice rink after the Escondido City Council unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding between the city and The Rinks Foundation earlier this month.
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The Rinks Foundation is a nonprofit founded by Henry and Susan Samueli, owners of the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks and American Hockey League’s San Diego Gulls. The organization owns eight ice rinks across Southern California, including Poway Ice and Anaheim Ice and offers a host of hockey and skating programs.
In addition to public use, the facility would be the new practice facility for the San Diego Gulls.
The Foundation originally brought forward their proposal to fully fund the construction, operations and maintenance of the ice sports facility during a closed session meeting in 2024, according to Deputy City Manager Joanna Axelrod. However, questions surrounding legality, the feasibility of placing the rink in their proposed location and other concerns imposed obstacles for the city to work through before bringing the idea to the public.
“Now that we have answers to many of the unknown questions… we can talk publicly about what the project benefits and potential impacts are and bring the public into the conversation” Axelrod said during the meeting.
For The Rinks Foundation, the goal for the proposed Escondido Ice is simple: to provide an elite ice facility to the Escondido community.
“San Diego County is home to five rinks despite being the second most populous county in California,” said Matthew Hicks, a representative for The Rinks Foundation. “We have a lack of ice… We believe Escondido would be the ideal home for a new community ice complex.”
The proposed facility would host daily public skating sessions, youth and adult hockey programs, figure skating, tournaments and skate classes, as well as be the new practice facility for the San Diego Gulls. The rink would replace the Adult Softball Complex, which would be moved to Francis Ryan Park. It would be the only ice rink in Escondido since the Ice-Plex closed in 2020.
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“I think that this is a great opportunity for our community,” said Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald during the meeting. “This is a more healthy, structured, team-based activity that gives a lot of the youth something to do.”
As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, the Rinks Foundation would lease the land from the City of Escondido for 25 years post-construction with the opportunity to renew for 50 years. Following the end of the lease, the city of Escondido would regain ownership of the space or a new lease could be negotiated. The Rinks Foundation would also provide $4 million for the relocation of the new Adult Softball Complex as part of the Memorandum.
As for the public’s view, several community members spoke out in support of the new facility, including Jessie Chen, a member of the 2025 Team USA National Development Figure Skating Team.
“This facility would allow many young talents, either in hockey or figure skating, to begin their journey,” Chen said. “I hope that we can give San Diego skaters a home.”
For hockey mom and wife Karla Middleton, the new facility would provide a much-needed resource for her family and the hockey community, who have had to travel outside of the city since the Ice-Plex closed.
“When our community lost the ice rink in 2020, it devastated many families having to travel and quite a bit of families ended up quitting playing hockey because of that reason,” she said during public comment. “We don’t want that to happen. We want to invest in our children and in our community.”
The Rinks Foundation will host a community meeting at 9 a.m. June 13 at City Hall for members of the public to share their ideas. For those who cannot attend in person, members of the public may submit their comments online at www.therinks.com/community/escondido-ice-proposal/ or find more information at www.yourescondido.com/IceSportsProposal.
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