Caron says city hitting the pause button on plans for new ice arena (Audio)

April 4, 2020
Mike Tanner

WATERTOWN, S.D.—The COVID-19 pandemic has created a crushing blow to the budgets of cities big and small across South Dakota and the nation.

Massive numbers of store closures mean fewer sales tax collections for cities like Watertown.

And those reductions in revenue mean hitting the pause button on big-ticket construction projects, and in Watertown’s case, that’s a new ice arena….

Mayor Sarah Caron says there’s just too much financial uncertainty to move ahead at this time….

The mayor says not all projects have been put on hold. She cited one that will move forward….

The city had been eyeing the former Metz Bakery building location on the west edge of downtown as the potential site for a new two-sheet ice arena to replace the aging George E. Maas Ice Arena next to the Codington County Extension Complex.

But with the nation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Watertown’s ice arena plans are on hold until further notice.