TULSA, Okla. — In a short couple of months, Tulsa will have a new ice skating center.
It's known as WeStreet Ice Center, and it will be the new home of the Oilers hockey team, but the facility will be much more than that.
The WeStreet Ice Center first started construction last year and the Oilers Owner Andy Scurto told 2 News it's on track to open this fall.
The center has two ice rinks both will be used for public skating, but when the Oilers hockey team needs to practice, the east rink will do just that with team locker rooms at the south end of the rink.
The ice center also has a bar and grill, concessions, a pro shop, a gaming area, offices for team staff, and a total of 12 locker rooms.
With crews working quickly to complete it, one rink is done and ready for ice and the other is in the plumbing stage, with concrete scheduled to be poured in September.
Scurto said the construction progress he's seen is phenomenal.
"It's very exciting to actually see the vision come to life. You can actually imagine ice, imagine the rinks and imagine a lot of people having fun on it," he said.
He explained the project is important to him to create a place where locals can have fun while also helping build the sport of hockey in Tulsa.
The facility is being constructed in what used to be a Macy's department store at the Promenade mall.
Owner Andy said when walking into the facility many people are shocked and surprised to see just how big it really is.
"I mean there was no way to tell what this would look like and the vision of a Macy's turning into an ice center is kind of unique," he said. "Its happening a little more where the big box stores really don't need a purpose with all the online shopping so this is a great way to transform it into something useful to community."
He hopes the transformation of this 180,000-square-foot facility will bring life back to the mall and help grow it once again.
He anticipates the WeStreet Ice Center will bring in a thousand people or more a day.
The facility is scheduled to open by November.
Once this center is open, the current Oilers Ice Center on Mingo won't go away, instead, this center adds to the number of rinks in town, giving the community three ice rinks for public skating and hockey leagues.
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