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 Alpharetta-based program that organizers say would otherwise relocate; conversely, council members warned that handing primary control to a private operator could limit access for other taxpayers and nonprofit users.

Council questions and concerns - Entity and finance: Councilman Heights said the group has only a name reservation (“Atlanta Hockey Club”) and no formed legal entity; he pressed the council to see who would sign a contract and how the financing would be sourced. Councilman Will said he understood the group needed to raise about $2,000,000 to implement the work and worried donors and lenders might not commit before council action. - Resident participation: Both Councilman Dorito and Mayor Pro Tem Markle asked for precise data on how many program participants live inside Alpharetta city limits, not just in Alpharetta ZIP codes. Council members noted ZIP-code counts can overstate city resident participation because some Alpharetta ZIPs extend outside municipal boundaries. - Scheduling and public access: Multiple council members, led by Councilman Heights, emphasized that Union Hill is a taxpayer-funded park and asked how scheduling conflicts would be handled when concerts or nonprofit events need the space on short notice. Council members asked whether the city would cede scheduling control to the operator and pressed for contract language guaranteeing public-access hours, emergency access and procedures for last-minute venue changes. - Existing commitments and operations: James Casto, owner/promoter associated with Home by Dark, told staff in private calls he was concerned about the six‑inch lip at the ice edge, table stability and generator noise during concerts. Council members said commitments already made to season-ticket holders and longstanding events should be honored and that the city needs clear assurances a conversion can be performed without harming concert operations. - Termination and risk allocation: Council members insisted on termination provisions, remedies if the private operator failed to maintain the facility, and clarity about whether the city could reclaim the venue after investments were made.

Next steps and outcome Staff will continue discussions with the organizing group and Home by Dark, request a formal proposal from the hockey organizers that addresses entity formation, a funding plan, resident participation data, scheduling processes and termination provisions, and report back to council with a recommended timeline. Mayor and council did not vote on a contract or MOU; they directed staff to seek more information and to return with specifics (including whether deadlines for tryouts and October concert commitments are flexible).

Council members repeatedly said they were not opposed in principle but that the city must “get this decision right” and preserve commitments to taxpayers and existing users. If the private group demonstrates flexibility on timing and supply the missing details, staff said it will bring a formal MOU or contract for council consideration at a future meeting.