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top the acres of Al Hargest's land in Lithia, Fla., sits what appears to be a standard blue barn. It's not an unusual sight in the agricul- tural-rich Tampa Bay suburb. But what lies inside the 14,500-square-foot building is. Hargest has exchanged hay bales for an ice resurfacer, and horse stalls for locker rooms. "It's something I've wanted to do for awhile," Hargest said of his privately owned rink. "Really, I built it for me, my family and my friends and it's been great." Hargest and his family moved on to the property in 2007. He has had the idea of an ice rink since then. "We gave it the name Ice Barn because that's what it was going to be," said Hargest. "My wife, Angela, has horses and we had the idea to combine the rink and stable at first, but she liked the old barn we already had instead. "It gave me more room to play, and the space makes for a good dryland area inside the rink." It was a five-year endeavor, and in November 2012, the Ice Barn and its one sheet of ice was finally complete. "It was a long process but it's great to have," said Hargest. Research Pays Off – a Lot Living in an area where temperatures rarely dip below 50 degrees and peak in the mid- to upper 80s most of the year presented its challenges. Hargest originally thought of building synthetic ice underneath a pole barn but decided to go a step further as he gained more property. Once set on the idea of building an all-out rink, he began to research the best approach. Hargest turned to STAR and received their annual Vendor Member Directory. "With the STAR Vendor Member Directory and Dave Wescott of All Star Arenas guiding me, I had a good level of confidence," said Hargest. Next, he started contacting training rinks throughout his homeland in Canada. "I asked every one of them what they would do different," said Hargest. "Most 18 / MAY.JUNE.2014 RINKMAGAZINE.COM Al Hargest's Private Rink Proves Cost- and Energy-Efficient // by JESSI PIERCE Barnyard Hockey Featured Rink Ice Barn | | Lithia, Fla. A