TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — If you drive I-10 regularly and get near the Kino exit you might wonder what’s that large complex coming out of the ground there. That is Mosaic Quarter. It’s a large regional sports complex and now we’ve had a chance to give you a look inside.
Workers preparing to bring tons of ice to our hot desert environment are building the framework for tubes full of refrigerant. They’ll be encased in concrete for a floor that can become cold enough to turn water to ice, slick and smooth enough for championship ice hockey.
Mosaic Quarter is Frank Knott’s vision. After years of planning, it’s coming together fast.
“It makes me really happy from a completion standpoint, but it also makes me incredibly happy because we're that much closer to Tucson and Pima County being able to enjoy a complete community ice center and the first phase of Mosaic Quarter. “
The IcePlex will have three rinks decorated with murals from local artists. Mosaic Quarter will have eleven murals in phase one alone.
The Ice Plex should be ready to open this spring.
“So the first event is going to be on a weekend. It'll be the opening ceremony, uh, that we'll host in our arena rink, uh, and there'll be about 4000 people that attend that, and it'll be a huge party for us in the community. “
By summer, the field house will be ready for basketball, volleyball, soccer, pickleball and a range of other sports. The complex will be able to host non sports events like concerts too.
All the construction has kept more than a thousand workers employed. It won’t be long before Mosaic Quarter is ready to hire about a hundred workers to operate the complex.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
