Doc Slafkosky

As Downtown business owners and lifelong advocates for a vibrant central city, we have considered the Riverview Icehouse, not only a positive asset along our river front, but an integral part of the rich urban amenities that are so important to our downtown community. There has always been a conflicting philosophy about how we view growth in our city: urban sprawl vs. adaptive use of our changing urban core. It has taken many years for our leadership to grasp the importance of having a strong city center, which actually defines the vitality of the entire community. The Icehouse played a significant role in the renaissance of our downtown, and it is ironic that it is now being considered for closure.

After more than 30 years, we have established downtown as not only our cultural & entertainment center, but also a blossoming residential community... in part, because facilities like the Riverview Icehouse and the UW Sports Factory are located here. We should actually be asking what more we can do to expand the role of these important assets in our downtown. We have more residential properties coming in the near future along with a beautiful new hotel & conference center, whose success relies on a vibrant urban core to survive and thrive. We have come so far... let's not turn the progress we've made BACKWARDS.

–Doc Slafkosky & Jerry Kortman