John and Janie Wainwright, the owners of Golden Skate, a longstanding indoor roller rink in Vancouver, have agreed to sell their 2-acre property to the city for $1.5 million. The city plans to use the property for the future expansion of its Public Works Operations Center.
The operations center – which houses more than 200 employees and serves as the primary site for a number of services including utilities customer service and safety/training staff – is located directly behind the Golden Skate property (4915 E Fourth Plain Blvd).
In a press release, the city reported that it has long identified a need to secure property that would allow for the future expansion of the center and facilities essential to providing core services.
Past seismic reviews of the existing operations center showed significant structural deficiencies and a lack of space for vehicle and equipment parking, the city noted.
“The 4915 E. Fourth Plain property creates a unique opportunity for the city as this parcel abuts the Operations’ Brookside yard and has frontage to East Fourth Plain Boulevard,” said Tim Haldeman, general services director for the city of Vancouver. “With the acquisition of this property, the operations center can more efficiently provide for future needs of the city’s residents and businesses and consolidate its services in an ideal central Vancouver location.”
Golden Skate was founded in 1942. On the company’s Facebook page, the Wainwrights offered the following message:
“It is with a heavy heart that we officially announce the closing of Golden Skate. Although there have been many rumors going around, this is the truth. Please join us this weekend for one last skate…”
Golden Skate will hold a cash-only liquidation sale on June 19-21 and June 26-28.
