The dream of building a sports rink and events center in Pateros has received a boost, in the form of a quarter million-dollar grant from the State Recreation and Conservation Office. The grant will be used to develop site assessments and construction plans, conduct surveys and support community engagement. Plans are to put the rink on Pateros School District land along the Columbia River. Almost two years ago, we talked with the group's board chair and president, Holly Bange, about what the complex would contain:
While hockey, ice skating and figure skating would dominate the winter months, the rest of the year the center could be used for pickleball, roller skating, roller hockey and more.
Last Summer, the non-profit group, which gets no financial support from the City of Pateros, received a 50-thousand-dollar Rural Development Business Grant from the USDA to conduct a feasibility study.
