Palmer City Council approves allocation of funds for Palmer Ice Arena upgrades; Alaska Avalanche drop puck at PIA on Sept. 10

Frontiersman

PALMER — The Palmer City Council unanimously approved the allocation of more than $885,000 for facility improvements at the Palmer Ice Arena, during its meeting Tuesday night.

The vote comes just two weeks after the city council approved an agreement that makes the Alaska Avalanche Tier II Junior A hockey franchise an anchor tenant at the Palmer arena.

Now, with the approval of the allocation of funds, the city can begin to prepare for the arrival of the Avalanche.

“It’s great, but we have a lot of work ahead of us,” Palmer City Manager Bill Allen said Wednesday. “(That first game), that’s coming up soon.”

The Avalanche open the 2010-11 North American Hockey League season against the Kenai River Brown Bears Sept. 10 at the Palmer Ice Arena.

Expected arena improvements have been separated into two phases. The first phase, in which work begins immediately, includes additional seating and upgrades to the lighting and sound systems.

For more on this developing story, see the Friday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.