Roller Hockey Rink Opens In Mar Vista

   The dedication ceremony for Los Angeles’ first-ever outdoor roller hockey rink facility is set for Sunday, November 18 at 1 p.m.
   “It’s the only one of its kind in the City of Los Angeles,” according to Harvey Drut of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. “It’s making it possible for hundreds of young people to play a sport they love in a setting that is made for the game.”
   This will also mark the opening weekend of play for the Mar Vista Hockey League, which has approximately 200 registered participants, most of whom are youth.
   Much of the credit for the project being realized goes to the Mar Vista Park Advisory Board, which assisted the Department of Recreation and Parks in securing a $247,000 grant to build the rink. This strong community involvement and support continued throughout the project’s time line.
   The 75-foot by 175-foot rink has a three-foot high fiberglass wall and a chain link fence above that for safety. Funds from Proposition K, a 1996 voter-approved bond measure provided $30 million for park and recreation improvements in the City, paid $247,000 of the $270,000 for the project. The remaining $23,000 was raised by Mar Vista through donations from the community, which paid for a scoreboard, bleachers, and exterior landscaping.
   In addition to serving roller hockey leagues in the area, the rink will be available for open skating for youth, adults, and families.
   For more information, call (888) LA-PARKS (527-2757).