The last cattle farm in Savage may soon turn into the largest year-round curling center in the United States — a $15 million multipurpose facility with six sheets of ice, a restaurant, food hall and a recreation area for adults.
Prior Lake-based developer Copper Creek is proposing a 55,000-square-foot facility called the Crossings at the busiest intersection in Savage, where it would replace a 15-acre farm that raised beef cattle until several months ago.
Plans are still preliminary, but the developer hopes the city will chip in funding to offset the cost of running a major ice facility.
Savage isn't the only place where suburban curling-center plans are taking shape. Curlers in the east metro want to build one in Stillwater, joining other suburban curling spaces in Blaine, Chaska and Lakeville. Jim Honsvall, treasurer of the St. Croix Curling Center, a club that plays in an Afton-area arena, said his 200-member organization is talking with Stillwater city officials about working together on a facility.
Savage City Administrator Brad Larson said the Crossings project poses several financial questions. City officials said they are waiting on a feasibility study before they commit.
"Where's the market on this? Are we starting to see an oversaturation, or not even close?" asked City Council Member Christine Kelly.
Still, Larson said, "It would be a unique recreational opportunity that the city likely wouldn't undertake on its own."
Local curling enthusiasts say there's more than enough demand for additional ice as more people try curling, a social sport that appeals to all ages. Teams slide a large granite stone down a sheet of ice to a target, using brooms to create friction and direct the stone.