Minneapolis Curling Club

[minneboom]

Does anyone else find it strange that Minneapolis does not have a curling club? St. Paul, Frogtown, Burnsville, and Blaine all have clubs and it is certainly a growing sport. Combined with some sort of ice rink, I think there could be a lot of demand for this amenity. This could be a great public/private partnership, and maybe even some type of collaboration with the Minneapolis Parks. It could be something similar to the the Minneapolis Rowing Club, which is a fantastic building and great amenity for the city.

[Didier]

I think a curling rink would be a cool amenity in Minneapolis, especially as people here seem more willing to embrace winter culture rather than whine about it. That said, some things to consider:

1. Curling really only took off here in recent years, and most of the curling clubs here are very new.

2. Maintaining artificial ice can be very expensive.

3. Curling rinks are traditionally seasonal. I believe the new club in Blaine is one of the only year-round facilities in the U.S., and it might even be the only one.

All of the above leads to what might be the most important factor: location. When this idea comes up (as it did around the 2014 Olympics), the vision is usually of some sort of hip hangout where cool young people might hang out on a Friday night out on the town. But in reality, curling clubs tend to be pretty utilitarian buildings, and if one were to be built in Minneapolis it'd probably have to be in an out-of-the-way converted warehouse or something similar.

That all said, again I'd love to see it happen.

[mamundsen]

Chaska recently opened a Curling Center.

http://www.chaskacurlingcenter.com/

http://www.startribune.com/popularity-o ... 367302361/

"Two months after opening its door, the Chaska Curling Center has stunned city officials. Participation numbers already have blown away five-years-out projections, and the center has become a corporate and social destination with a full calendar in the south metro."

[minneboom]

Right! It is a valid idea to start throwing around and see if it sticks. There would certainly be an interest from different corporations in downtown Minneapolis.

[MNdible]

I've long thought that the basement of the Duffy Paper building in the North Loop could be converted into the sweetest curling rink in the state, with a very popular bar to go along with it.

Of course, I say this without ever having been into the basement of the Duffy Paper building -- no idea what the ceiling heights are or how the space is structured. But the overall dimensions of the lot are about the perfect size.

[minneboom]

A site at the Minneapolis Farmers Market, or somewhere near the former Minnesota United Stadium site could work well. This would have very good access from both the future blue and green line extensions, and could have strong connections with all the new breweries going into the North Loop.

[amiller92]

If it's going to be so popular (thus presumably lucrative), why would Parks need to be involved?

[minneboom]

Well, my thought was that it would be a public amenity and that the parks could help run leagues. However, maybe it is just better if it is run by the private sector. I am not an expert on the different types of partnerships the city sets up (Sea Salt, Minneapolis Rowing Club, Golf Course, ect) I certainly think that city council members and the mayor could help with promotion and fundraising.