The new ice rink in Turnov will open to the public in a month

Turnov (Semilsko) - The new winter stadium in Maškova zahrada in Turnov will open to the public in a month. However, work in the new sports complex will not end there, Jindřich Kořínek, the director of the City Sports Turnov, which will operate the entire complex, told ČTK today. It is necessary to finish the swimming pool with water attractions, a slide, and slides. It should be completely finished by the beginning of next summer season. The project, costing about 175 million crowns, is financed by the city.
    "So far, 116 million crowns have been spent, and as of today we are already connected to electricity, gas, and water; just pour ammonia for the cooling," Kořínek added. Work on the winter stadium is progressing according to schedule, access roads and parking lots for visitors are completed, and on October 28 at 1:00 PM, the hall will start serving the public. "At the same time, work is underway on the swimming pool; the construction company wants to complete as much work as possible this year. The climatic conditions are good, so that as many rough construction works as possible are done this year," he added.
    The winter stadium with seating for 350 spectators will not serve only hockey players but also figure skaters, and ice skating for the public is also being prepared. A month before the opening, the hall is already largely booked. "On weekdays, it is filled from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM, on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 AM to 10:30 PM; we are still negotiating with schools that could use the free capacity in the mornings," said the facility manager Tomáš Špinka. Both young and adult hockey players from the local HC Turnov 1931 are looking forward to the ice, as they have been waiting for their own ice surface for years. Martin Volf, who takes care of the youngest hockey players, believes that having a winter stadium will increase children's interest in hockey; currently, he has about 50 kids. "Recruitment is still ongoing," Volf assured.
    The construction of the complex in the southern part of the city on the left bank of the Jizera began to be planned 15 years ago in Turnov. The city acquired the land in 2000 for 35 million crowns. The purchase price was paid at that time by the Turnov patron Bohuslav Jan Horáček, who was also to cover the further construction amounting to nearly a billion crowns. However, the project was halted in the autumn of 2002 due to Horáček's death. A few years ago, the city decided to build a sports and recreational area but in a much more modest form. In addition to the winter stadium and swimming pool, Maškova zahrada will also include a skate park, children's and sports playgrounds, or an inline track. The town hall estimates that it will have to subsidize its operation by a maximum of four million crowns per year.