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The check will be presented by State Senate President Nicholas Scutari on behalf of the State of New Jersey.
“Right now, we have a great facility in use, but it can only be used seasonally," Commissioner Chair Rebecca Williams said. "With the construction of a new state-of-the-art indoor skating rink, we will be able to offer year-round use of the building, attracting even more visitors and leagues."
In a contract to be awarded to USA Architects, the concept design for the new facility will feature a second sheet of ice increasing the capacity of the facility. The project for the new rink is slated to begin by the end of 2023 with an estimated completion date of 2025.
Since 1961, area families have enjoyed the seasonal skating in the park — and in 2019 the skating building was renovated and renamed to the Warinanco Sports Center, which sits adjacent to the skating rink. The seasonal rink, which generally opens at the end of November is home to eight Union County high school hockey teams and hosts more than 50,000 skaters every year.
"A year-round rink will provide more young hockey players and recreational skaters the opportunity to use a state-of-art facility for healthy and enjoyable activities," Senate President Scutari said. "The Warinanco Sports Center will continue to be a premiere attraction for Union County.”
“The creation of a new ice rink at Warinanco Park is a transformative moment for youth sports in Union County and North Jersey,” said Mike DuHaime, president of the non-profit Cranford Hockey Club. “The new rink will allow us to keep costs down for families, play more games here in Union County, and most importantly start a scholarship program, opening the doors for so many more children locally to play ice hockey, so cost will no longer be a barrier to access to the ice."
Established in 1956, the Cranford Hockey Club is the oldest travel hockey club in the state of New Jersey. Nearly 300 children ages 5-18 are currently part of the club’s travel and learn-to-play programs. Warinanco Park has been its home rink for decades, though due to increased demand, the teams hold some of its home games and practices elsewhere.
As a non-profit, the club is run solely by volunteers, including the board, coaches, and team managers. More information on the club's scholarship program can be found at https://www.cranfordhockeyclub.com/scholarship
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