By Rich Larson
The City of Northfield will officially open the new Hasse Ryt-Way Arena next Wednesday with an evening of ceremonies, tours, skating and community activities.
The grand opening is scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at the new 51,000-square-foot facility at 1900 Cannon Road.
The celebration will begin at 4:30 with the dedication of new artwork created by local artist Michael Sweere, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with community partners at 5 p.m. Visitors will be able to tour the arena, watch an exhibition by the Northfield Skate School and participate in a free open skate with members of the Northfield High School boys’ and girls’ hockey teams.
Facilities Manager Jayson Dwelle called the arena “truly a community building,” noting that community partners have been involved throughout the project.
“There’s nothing extravagant about the building, but it’s been built the right way,” Dwelle said. “Every part of this building is more functional, more accessible and more sustainable than our old building.”
The arena was developed through a partnership involving the cities of Northfield and Dundas, the Northfield School District and private donors, with fundraising coordinated through the Northfield Hockey Association.
Named for lead sponsor Glenn Hasse, founder and former president of Northfield-based Ryt-Way Industries, the arena seats 499 spectators with additional standing-room space. It includes separate locker rooms for boys’ and girls’ varsity and junior varsity teams, coaches’ and officials’ rooms, a dryland training area, concessions, a pro shop, skate rental and a multipurpose room.
Accessibility improvements include an elevator, nursing room and accessible seating. The facility also includes media seating and an outdoor walking track.
Built in accordance with Northfield’s sustainable building policy, the LEED Silver-certified arena features energy-efficient heating and cooling, advanced refrigeration, solar panels, high-efficiency lighting, water-conservation measures, an electric ice resurfacer and electric-vehicle charging stations.
Materials from the former Northfield Ice Arena will also live on. The old rink boards will be repurposed for a new outdoor rink on the north side of the building.
Sweere’s three new mosaic pieces depict outdoor skaters and animals and were created with help from residents during public workshops. The artwork was funded through Northfield’s Percent for the Arts program.
Rich Larson is the owner and General Manager of KYMN Radio. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
