This will ensure everything is manufactured, delivered and ready when construction of the rink by Everything Ice, Inc. begins in spring 2026, according to Kiser.
The goal is to have the 132-60-30-foot oval rink completed and operational by fall 2026.
While council has not yet decided on whether to provide the funds, Kiser is “confident” the city will approve the project.
“If, for some unforeseen reason, that funding is not approved, this season would unfortunately be the last for the ice rink,” she told Journal-News.
For the 2025-2026 skating season, the portable rink will be used.
Council will hear from Joshua Smith, Butler County Finance Authority president and CEO, at the Sept. 16 meeting. Smith has been working with Reimagine Holiday Whopla to develop and finalize plans for the project.
A decision will be made at the Sept. 16 meeting whether to provide funds to make the Oct. 1 deadline for construction to start.
There is a separate cost for architecture and engineering of the entertainment district planned to surround the rink.
Scott Tadych, Middletown’s public works director, said the “rough budget” is about $360,000.
Shook Construction, based out of Moraine, will complete construction work; Gresham Smith, based out of Nashville, will do the design and architecture.
The proposed skate rink and entertainment district would cap the 5.1-million-gallon combined sewer overflow basin, which is an ongoing $53 million project to install a storage tank reservoir system underground in Middletown on Main Street.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
The current ice rink is portable and is set up and taken down each year. After transitioning to a permanent skate rink, some of these operating expenses will decrease.
For the proposed permanent rink, anticipated in kind annual city partner assistance would be $7,200 — down about 92 percent from current in kind annual city partner assistance of $89,500.
According to Reimagine Holiday Whopla documents, since the organization’s inception in 2021, it has attracted more than 280,000 visitors.
The 2024 season saw a 26 percent increase in daily attendance compared to 2023.
Kiser said based on attendance growth, the organization anticipates 300,000 to 500,000 annual visitors once the rink becomes a year-round destination.
“As we expand marketing and downtown development continues — bringing new housing, restaurants and shops — we expect attendance to grow at even faster pace," Kiser said.
When first presented in April, the project received a unanimous positive response from city council, with Councilman Paul Horn saying he could see the project growing into something along the likes of Fountain Square in Downtown Cincinnati.
Reimagine Holiday Whopla would maintain, manage and operate the skate rink. All revenue from rink operations go directly to payroll and some operating expenses, according to Kiser.
There is a long-term goal of funding additional amenities like a roller rink and pickleball equipment.
“As revenue grows, we are committed to working with the city and reinvesting those funds into the long-term sustainability and beautification of the entire entertainment district,” Kiser said.
In 2023, city council voted unanimously on an emergency ordinance for the city to purchase a portable ice rink for $236,202 from Everything Ice, Inc. and allow Reimagine Holiday Whopla to operate the event for at least four years. There is an anticipated buy back for the portable rink, but the dollar amount was not shared in Tuesday’s meeting.
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