ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Cornerstone Community Center is making a final push for donations as progress continues on the new Schneider Family Arena.
In just a few months, the arena — which will be home to the fourth and largest sheet of ice at the Cornerstone facility — will be complete.
“We’re probably a little over halfway through our building process,” says Don Chilson, manager of the facility. “We’ve got a roof on, we’ve got lights up. You can start to see the building starting to take shape on the inside, and now, it’s going to be a lot of detail work from here on out through the summer.”
Chilson says the new rink will bring more chances for kids to get on the ice. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Cornerstone saw a 25% increase in players at its facility and learn-to-skate programs, which were already full.
“Every Monday at six o’clock at the Cornerstone, anywhere from 50 to 60 kids [are] out there, a bunch of volunteers,” says Ryan Petersen, who helps organize the facility’s learn-to-skate classes. “With our numbers and where we cap, and the ice log of where we’re actually able to grow, we’re just not able to grow.”
Chilson adds, “This will maybe allow us to add two, three more sessions of that, which is really going to make the ice sports grow exponentially. We have not had that ability to do that here because we’ve always been locked into what we have.
Not only will the fourth rink allow Cornerstone to expand its youth programming, but it will also allow for hosting more national tournaments.
“The excitement of growing the game in Green Bay, growing ice sports in Green Bay and the economic impact that this facility is going to bring. To be able to pull in USHL events, to be able to pull USA hockey events in here, that will impact the community and be able to add hotel nights and restaurant experiences,” Petersen adds.
The new arena will also be the future home for St. Norbert College’s men’s and women’s hockey programs.
“I think this new facility, again for me, is going to take our program to the next level,” says AJ Aitken, the head coach of the SNC women’s hockey program. “Just with recruiting, just the resources that we have for our student-athletes overall, the men’s and women’s. And just the excitement that is brewing within our athletic department and with the hockey program.”
The new 3,000-seat arena is double the size of the current rink the Green Knights play in. Along the rink will be club-style seating, while behind the goals will be bench-style seating.
The new team spaces, which are identical, will feature horseshoe-shaped locker rooms with 28 lockers in each, all of which are individually ventilated. Both locker rooms will also feature a nutrition station, cold plunge and hot plunge tanks. There is also a 15-person sauna available for both teams.
“The ability to step into the Cornerstone 25 years ago, we essentially were given a footprint and go and do what you want to do with it,” says Petersen, who is also an associate head coach for the SNC men’s program, “And now, to be able to actually put some fingerprints on it, make some designs that we’ve seen over time that we think would work well for our student-athletes — that’s been the most exciting part of it. A little stressful here and there, but to be able to actually design, put into play what we think will work best, and now to see it coming to light, is just absolutely amazing.”
Cornerstone is still $2.5 million short of its funding goal. It’s making a final push for donations to get the arena to the full $23 million mark.
“We’re looking for any size donation at this point, and I’m hoping that we can finish it off, because if we can finish this off with no debt, it’s really going to set the whole Cornerstone complex up for real success in the future,” Chilson says.
No matter what, they expect the facility to open in the fall. They hope to host state hockey at the new arena next year.
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