ANAHEIM : Disney, City Break Ground on Joint Ice-Skating Rink Project

Disney and city officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at the site of their new joint project--a 90,000-square-foot community ice rink to be built in downtown Anaheim.

The rink will serve as both a practice site for the Mighty Ducks and a community youth center. It is expected to open by fall 1995 and will be built on a 3.2-acre site bordered by Clementine Street, Lincoln Avenue and West Harbor Place.

The facility, which officials say they hope will lead to a revitalization of the city’s downtown area, will have two side-by-side rinks, one National Hockey League-size rink and an Olympic-size rink.

It will also feature a restaurant, locker rooms, a pro shop, seating for 1,300 spectators and a training area for the Mighty Ducks.

The rink also will be home to Disney’s new nonprofit program called GOALS--Growth Opportunities Through Athletics, Learning and Service. It is modeled after a highly touted hockey program in Harlem. The charitable organization’s aim is to offer organized athletic, education and community service to underprivileged youth.

The program has initially targeted three neighborhoods around the center for participation: Jeffrey-Lynne, Ponderosa Park and Guinida Lane.

“We are committed to building life skills with the children, not just hockey skills,” said David Wilk, who heads Disney GOALS.

Mayor Tom Daly was among those present at the groundbreaking. He said: “The ice rink is an outstanding example of the type of collaborative effort between city government and private enterprise that is critically important to the future of our city.”