Beloved Westmoreland County roller rink rolling toward a comeback

If you grew up around Delmont over the past 80 years, chances are you made a few memories at the Rock Springs Roller Rink.

After sitting empty for more than a decade, those memories are getting a new chapter thanks to new owner and local entrepreneur, Greg Ventrice.

"I originally kind of bought it for my kids to play in it," Ventrice said. "Then I spent more time in it, it felt obvious that I needed to open it as a rink and some other things and try and start a viable business out of it."

Ventrice's friend, Jenn Wier, runs the rink's new Facebook page and is helping to spread the word that Rock Springs is making a comeback. She says that a place like this is just what the community needs.

"I grew up in a roller rink in Canonsburg when I was young; every Friday night we were at the roller rink," said Wier. "There was definitely excitement for me personally just because I love roller skating. I think it's just a great pastime. So I was excited to meet with (Greg) and talk about, 'Hey, how can I help, how can I use some of my skills and background to make this place a little bit better?'"

Together, along with contractor Hayden Schlotfeldt, they are tackling a long list of renovations. Right now, the biggest projects include new bathrooms and restoring the rink's original maple skating floor.

"What do you love so much about this project?" asked KDKA's Chris DeRose.

"The whole community background with this is awesome," Schlotfeldt said. "Days when I am working here, people stop by, and almost every day, people stop by and peek their head in, see what's going on or just having a conversation, so it's pretty neat to be a part of something big that the whole town is excited to have back open."

Every visit, every story and every memory reminds this team that they're not just restoring a building: they're bringing back a place that generations called their own and hopefully once again will.

While there is no official opening date and this place is a work in progress, the team wants the community's help to get old photos of the rink so that they can frame them and put them all over the complex once it reopens.

For more information or to submit photos, check out the Rock Springs Roller Rink Facebook page.