The Polar Communications Board of Directors is pleased to announce the approval of a Rural Development Revolving Loan Fund application from the Northwood Hockey Boosters (NHB).
NHB provides programs and facilities to rural communities in Grand Forks and Nelson County, as well as surrounding areas. Since its construction in 2014, the Northwood Winter Sports Complex has hosted over 50 games and several tournaments annually. The facility also holds 160 practices each year and is unique in that it is privately owned and funded by supporters and participants.
The NHB’s youth hockey program, “Ice Storm Hockey,” includes six age divisions, ranging from 5-year-olds to high school students, and is part of the statewide North Dakota Amateur Hockey Association and affiliated with USA Hockey. The complex also offers open skating for community members.
Currently, NHB must rent ice in Grand Forks for early-season practices or when their facility is impacted by warm weather, which has become inconvenient and costly. To address this, NHB will use the loan to install an ice maintenance system in its existing natural ice arena. This project includes building a mechanical room to house the compressor system, installing a compressor, a cooling tower, and tubing beneath the rink floor to freeze the ice. The goal is to have the new system operational by November 2026.
The Rural Development Loan Fund was established to support community-based development projects in rural North Dakota. It aims to complement existing public and private sources of funding for rural development. Polar will accept and review applications for financing from the RLF for projects that will notably benefit rural areas, without restriction to the cooperative’s service area. The RLF is designed to offer financing options and leverage other funding sources for new or expanding businesses or community facilities, to boost employment and economic opportunities. As such, it requires participation from additional sources of financing.