The Frewsburg Soccer Club has signed a lease agreement with city officials to use the facility as an indoor soccer field, giving new life to the former ice rink that has been seldom used since Northwest Arena opened. The agreement is for $1 a year for four years.

Sam Teresi, Jamestown mayor, said the soccer club will be responsible for renovating and paying the utilities. He said that even though city officials and other groups rarely use the building, city officials were still paying $8,000 to $10,000 a year on utilities. He added club officials will also be paying for roof and lighting upgrades along with heating improvements.

“We’ve been working 15 to 16 years to find someone to use the facility,” he said. “These folks came along last year and it is a good fit for the building.”

Leslie Stone of the Frewsburg Soccer Club said club officials would like to share the facility with other community groups who would like to rent an indoor facility. She said organizations can rent half of the building or the full facility. Those interested can contact Leslie Stone at 499-3935 for more information about renting the indoor facility.

Frewsburg Soccer Club members practicing at their new indoor facility, which used to be the former Allen Park Ice Rink. Club officials are hoping to rent the facility to other community organizations for indoor activities. P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

Scott Stone of the Frewsburg Soccer Club said it has always been a dream of his, who has been playing soccer in the Jamestown area since childhood, to have an indoor soccer field.

“We are super excited about it. We’re in here five days a week,” he said. “We have six teams and 100 kids in the club. We also want other groups to use the facility. To be on turf and not on a gym floor is great.”

Scott Stone said the club arranged a deal with officials from Northwest Arena to purchase the athletic turf for the new indoor soccer facility.

Michael Bird of the Frewsburg Soccer Club thanked Keith Martin, Northwest Arena executive director, and the arena’s board because the club wouldn’t have been able to lease the former Allen Park Ice Rink without being able to purchase the turf from arena officials. Scott Stone said it took 15 volunteers over two days to roll out the athletic turf.

During a ceremonial contract signing event Friday, a banner listed The Post-Journal; Audio Care Hearing Services; Ciancio Mechanical Inc.; Solar Liberty; Moonlight Electric of Jamestown; Stuart Tool & Die Inc.; Shults Auto Group; and Salon 2000 as club sponsors.

Teresi said when Northwest Arena opened, city officials decided to stop using the former Allen Park Ice Rink so it wouldn’t be competition for the newly opened downtown facility. He said since then, city officials have been trying to find a steady use for the facility because it was only being used a few times year at events like the Halloween Fun Fest, as an indoor facility during the annual Easter Egg Hunt if it was raining and the building is used by the Warren, Pa., girls roller derby team — Warrin’ Wrecking Dolls — for matches and practice. Teresi said the facility will still be used for these events under the new deal.

The mayor said because city officials received federal and state grant funds for when the facility was first built in the 1970s as an covered ice rink and tennis court and then renovated in the 1980s to be a completely indoor facility that they cannot sell the build.

Teresi said private businesses have asked to purchase the building to use as a warehouse or for industrial use, but city officials turn down those proposals because they wanted the facility to be used for recreational purposes. He said in the past recreational groups have approached city officials about using the facility, but no deals were ever finalized. He added the lease agreement with the Frewsburg Soccer Club is a “win-win-win” situation because city officials have a regular tenant for the building that will regularly be used, it provides an indoor facility for the soccer club to use during winter months and the upgraded facility will also benefit other community groups who rent the facility from the soccer club.

“(The Frewsburg Soccer Club) is putting the building up for community use, and that’s what we want,” Teresi said.