Camp Las Vegas buying Ice Garden

Grace Leong

Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

A youth camp operator said Monday it agreed to buy the Las Vegas Ice Garden, an indoor ice skating center with two rinks, for $7.6 million from Players World International Inc.

Camp Las Vegas LLC, which began operations in Las Vegas in February and had been renting the Las Vegas Sports Park's 22,000-square-foot rink in Summerlin for its ice skating activities, said the deal is expected to close before year-end and that it plans to complete a $1 million renovation of the five-acre Las Vegas Ice Garden at 3896 Swenson Street by April 1, 2002.

The property is near the intersection of Maryland Parkway and Flamingo Road, east of the Las Vegas Strip and north of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Neil Werner, Camp Las Vegas' director and owner, said the rink will be renamed Ice Garden Arena At Camp Las Vegas and that the change of ownership won't disrupt ongoing skating programs.

Darlene Aldredge, administrative assistant to Bob Wessels, owner of Players World International Inc., confirmed the property is being sold to Camp Las Vegas.

Werner said the Las Vegas Ice Garden's location and the size of its building and property are two main reasons for its acquisition.

"Our new location is just four blocks from Bally's and we want to service the casino industry especially the employees who need a drop-off point for their children. We are also more centrally located to the Green Valley, Henderson and Summerlin areas. Previously, we were mainly servicing the Summerlin area."

"The entire property including the land and the building is a little over five acres and the building has about 170,000 square feet of indoor space," Werner said. "We plan to build a swimming pool, climbing wall, indoor ropes course, a culinary center, a creative and dramatic arts center and two basketball courts."

"The Ice Gardens has Surya Bonaly and Barbara Roles, both Gold Medalist figure skaters, and the 15-year-veteran National Hockey League player Randy Burridge teaching at the facility. The two ice rinks and the staff will greatly enhance the ice skating division of our camps. This is an extremely complimentary marriage,' he said.

"We plan to transform the Las Vegas Ice Garden into a megacomplex for children and expand our hotel camp and corporate team building programs," he said.

Werner said former rink owner Wessels will be retained as a consultant to Camp Las Vegas. The rink's three to four employees will be retained at Camp Las Vegas and some 20-30 jobs are expected to be created over the course of the year.

Wessels couldn't be reached for comment.