LONDON HOCKEY ENTHUSIASTS are holding out hope that the new owners of the former London Ice Park arena will finally raise the standards at a facility whose condition has been deteriorating for years.

Buckingham Sports Properties Company, Canadian affiliate of the South Carolina-based The InterTech Group, Inc., announced the acquisition of the London Ice Park in July.

The property, located on Brookside Street, has been renamed London Sports Park.

Buckingham has stated its intentions to spend more than $1 million to upgrade the dilapidated building and property that includes two ice pads and a restaurant and bar.

John Cook, vice president of Buckingham, says work has already started on a modernization program that will include substantial improvements to the dressing rooms, ice rinks, refrigeration equipment, bar and restaurant and public washrooms.  Money will also be spent on buying new televisions, repairing the crumbling parking lot and doing much-needed landscaping.

Over $100,000 has already been put into two new ice-resurfacing machines. A resurfacer at the arena leaked carbon monoxide in April, causing several players to fall ill.

Another important safety advance will see higher glass and netting put around both rinks, removing the worry of spectators getting hit with wayward pucks.

The biggest project will involve gutting 20 motel rooms on the second floor and turning them into six new dressing rooms, which will give the facility 12 in total.

Cook, who played for the London Knights during the 1971-72 season, says the employees at London Sports Park are optimistic about the changes occurring at the arena.  "The staff there is hardworking and very enthused they are now going to have a new and improved facility.  Past owners were absentee owners and we're hands-on," Cook continues, adding he will be traveling from head office in Toronto to London once each week until renovations are completed in six to seven months.

"Our senior management team has been in the business for 20 years and we have a wealth of experience."

Buckingham operates two arenas in Toronto, plus one in Cambridge, which have all been renovated.  Additionally, the firm has begun construction of a new state-of-the-art four-pad arena at Downsview in September, 2013.

London Sports Park, once called Brookside Centre, was built approximately 50 years ago as the Ivanhoe Curling Club.  It was purchased in 1993 and renovated and re-contructed to its current state.  The facility also houses two large banquet halls.