Skaters returned to the wooden floor at TouchPoint Alaska’s roller rink on Sept. 18, marking a soft reopening after four months of dark lights and locked doors.

The facility shuttered in May following a series of sudden leadership changes within TouchPoint Alaska Ministries, the nonprofit that owns and operates the building.

Karen Freeman, an active board member, died April 20. Three weeks later, on May 11, board members Richard and Georgianna Buhler stepped down. The rapid departures left operations frozen and residents uncertain about whether the venue would ever welcome skaters again.

That uncertainty ended when business owners Alisha Mora and Chris Miera agreed to take charge of the facility. The couple, who run The Wolf Shack and The Salty Bite, stepped into the rink’s management role Sept. 15.

Jim Freeman, acting president of the TouchPoint Alaska board of directors, said hiring the pair allowed the organization to fast-track its return.

“Once the new managers were hired, the decision to reopen soon was an easy one to make,” Freeman said.

TouchPoint opened the rink in 2024. It had closed in 2020 under different ownership.

For Mora and Miera, the motive was personal. As the parents of a 9-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son, they recognized that the island’s youth were losing an essential indoor gathering space just as the seasons began to shift.

“The kids need something to do,” Miera said. “The weather is starting to change and it’s about to start getting colder. So the kids who like to be outside will need somewhere to go.”

The venue currently offers public roller-skating sessions on Friday and Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m., with a concession stand selling snacks. The facility also is available for rentals.

The new management team and the board plan to expand programming beyond weekend open skates.

“It’s roller skating now, but it could be so much more in the future,” Miera said. “We want to see it used by everyone in the community that could have use for it.”

He said he has opened discussions with Heather Armstrong, the school district’s activities director, about using the space to house visiting high school wrestling teams during the Southeast regional tournament scheduled for Dec. 11-12.

The building’s proximity to the schools also presents daily opportunities to support working families, according to Miera.

“Because of its location near the schools, we would like to possibly see it as a place for students to go during those odd in-between hours after school lets out and their parents get home,” he said.

Freeman confirmed that broader civic use is already taking shape, with youth organizations preparing to step inside.

“The Girl Scouts are going to start having their meetings here. And we would also like to see different people use it for things like anniversaries or birthdays,” he said. “Maybe even as a conference area for businesses and organizations. It could serve multiple purposes. That’s why I say we view it as a community-builder. And Alisha and Chris feel the same way.”

Freeman added that securing dedicated operators was the key element in restoring the hall to the public.

“If you want to be more effective in the community, you have to form a team,” he said. “And that’s where people like them come in.”