BETHLEHEM, Pa. — In October, Keith Krem with Steel Ice Center told Bethlehem City Planning Commission that business was booming and space was running out at 320 E. First St.
Youth teams were scheduled for practice on site as early as 5:30 a.m., Krem said, while adult programming was running until after midnight.
“We are saturated in every way, shape or form."
Steel Ice Center owner and Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth Vice President of Hockey Operations Keith Krem
“We are saturated in every way, shape or form,” he said.
On Thursday, representatives of Steel Ice Center will be back before city planners with the latest on a proposed expansion for the site at East Second and Polk streets, west of SteelStacks.
Currently offering two professional-sized ice surfaces, Steel Ice Center plans for a 34,000-square-foot addition that would include the facility’s third ice rink.
It also would include 6,000 square feet in a fitness center with gym space, a stretch-and-recovery lab and other support facilities.
The project is set to feature St. Luke’s University Health Network branding; the health system also operates a gym within the current building that’s slated for improvements, too.
The proposal is allowed by right in the city's Industrial Redevelopment District and would require no zoning relief.
This past Saturday, more than 150 first-time skaters stepped onto the ice at the Bethlehem rink, according to the Steel Ice Center Facebook page.
Registration is open for the “Learn to Skate” program’s first winter session schedule, set to run through Feb. 22.
Steel Ice Center is home to area programs such as Lehigh Valley Phantoms Youth Hockey, Lehigh University men’s ice hockey team, Polar Bears of Special Hockey of the Lehigh Valley, and Penguin Figure Skating Club.
Along with the ice center, the property also is home to Player’s Choice Pro Shop and Steel Pub Sports Bar and Grille.