Greenwood Iceplex Project on Hold
(photo courtesy of our partners at WIBC-FM)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPlans for the $20 million Greenwood Iceplex have stalled after Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers pulled the tax abatement offered to the facility’s owners. Our partners at WIBC report the incentives were pulled due to a potential legal challenge related to state laws on tax abatement.
The station reports the five-year tax incentives could possibly be in violation of laws concerning the types of projects that are eligible to receive abatement. The Greenwood City Council is also considering stricter construction standards for the Iceplex and other buildings to ensure a higher-quality building is built.
"As things came up with the abatement on the Iceplex, there was a lot of controversy about it," Myers told WIBC. "We’ve got different legal opinions on what it was, so I thought it was be in the best interest of the city to go ahead and pull that abatement so that later down the road we wouldn’t run into any problems. I want to make sure this is a crystal clear thing."
The Iceplex project has also received criticism from nearby residents concerned about traffic issues in their neighborhood. Myers says the city and the Halletts are evaluating the previously-announced property and others in the city to find the best place for the facility.
"We are listening to the community. We understand that there is some concern being voiced by the citizens," said Myers. "We’re happy to have that because it lets us know what to look for in the future. We’re looking at traffic issues. We’ve been contacted about other issues with it, but we are still moving ahead with this project and hope that we can come to a happy solution where everyone in the city benefits from this project."
Myers said he thinks the Iceplex is a great thing for the city.
The 115,000 square-foot facility was announced last month by the Jim and Sean Hallett, the owners of the Indy Fuel hockey team. As part of the plan for the Iceplex, the city would lease the land, adjacent to the Freedom Springs Aquatic Center in Greenwood, to the Halletts for 60 years.