Frequently Asked Questions

This is among the most critical issues the Foundation faces at this time. We are continuing the search for an ideal location. The facility is intended to serve Frederick County, the City of Winchester, Warren County, Shenandoah County, Page County, and Clarke County.

This would be a large facility accommodating two 50-meter pools, warm-up pools, two NHL-sized ice rinks, spectator areas, locker rooms, support facilities, and mechanical areas, all under roof and conditioned. Structure size could range up to 250,000 square feet. It will require a site of 15 to 20 acres to accommodate the building, parking areas, and green space. The research, data, and feasibility studies the Foundation has gathered and conducted over the last five years all point to and support the need for a facility of this size.

The Foundation recognizes this must be a collaborative effort and is actively seeking municipal, non-profit, and institutional partners. Once the facility becomes a reality and is guaranteed a sustainable future, the Foundation would dissolve.

A combination natatorium and ice facility is a very complex building type with highly specialized mechanical systems. Combined with the sheer size of the building, it is expensive to build. Cost estimates do not include land, which we hope to have donated. The Foundation continues to develop funding sources including halo donors, in-kind pledges, and grants. Municipal participation will most likely be required in one form or another from the served jurisdictions, ideally non-bonded. Detailed cost estimates are shared directly with prospective partners and funders.

The facility is intended to serve all, cradle to grave. This includes the general recreational public, all manner of structured educational and recreational water and ice programs, those with physical and mental challenges, local clubs, and national high school, college, and amateur events (sports tourism).

Operating a facility of this size carries a significant annual cost. Income to support those costs is provided by the Foundation’s space utilization model, which includes usage fees, memberships, sponsorship and advertising, volunteers, and sports tourism income.

This will be determined by the specific partnerships the Foundation is able to establish and sustain over time.

A facility of this size would generate significant benefits and social impact by bridging gaps in safety, wellness education, sports, and tourism. It would act as an economic and social anchor by promoting recreational opportunities, general health and wellness, life saving skills, physical and mental health therapy, and economic growth and tourism, including the participants and spectators for events.