Alpharetta council hears private plan to add ice sports at Union Hill Park; raises access, scheduling and funding questions

Alpharetta city staff and council members spent the April 14 work session probing a privately funded plan to restore and operate ice sports — including hockey and figure skating — at the Union Hill Park venue used for the city’s Home by Dark concert series.

City Parks Director/Project Lead Mr. Lagerbloom described a group of local organizers who have offered to finance renovations needed to run ice sports at Union Hill Park and operate the facility. “They’ve come and they’ve asked for not a single dollar of city investment,” Lagerbloom told council, describing proposals that would add roll-up doors and a removable covering so the venue could convert between ice and concert configurations.

Why it matters: the facility currently serves multiple public functions — concerts, community events and occasional recreation — and the council must weigh any private operating agreement against prior commitments to Home by Dark and other users. The proposal, if approved, could bring 4–600 youth players back to an…