The Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, originally Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, is a 102,000 square foot multi-purpose arena in Wasilla, Alaska, designed to accommodate up to 5,000 people.

Venue: Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center
Town: Wasilla, US

The Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, originally Wasilla Multi-Use Sports Complex, is a 102,000 square foot multi-purpose arena in Wasilla, Alaska, designed to accommodate up to 5,000 people. The facility consists of an NHL-size ice arena, an indoor artificial turf court, a running/walking track, three community meeting rooms, and a commercial kitchen facility. In a special referendum held in March 2002 (which saw a turnout of 14% of registered voters), Wasilla residents voted 51.7% to 48.3% in favor of approving additional half percentage point sales tax to fund construction of the $14.7 million facility. This tax increase brought the city's sales tax up to 2.5%., a 25% increase from the previous sales tax rate. The project was championed by then-mayor Sarah Palin, who had advanced the sales tax measure and had championed holding a special election for the referendum. In supporting the tax increase, Palin argued that there was strong community support for the project and cited a need for the government to provide funding since the private sector had not. Palin also argued a belief that the sports complex would contribute to lowering the city's rates of public health ills such drug abuse and juvenile delinquency. To fund the sports complex, during Palin's mayoralty the city issued $15 million in municipal bonds. The project was significantly delayed by an eminent domain lawsuit brought by the prior landowner, Gary Lundgren. At Palin's instruction, the city had begun construction prior to securing undisputed ownership of the 80 acres (32 ha) of land it sat on. The city's dispute over the land dated back to 1999. The city and Lundgren had both sought to purchase the parcel of land from the Nature Conservancy. In 2002, Lundgren had acquired the land from the Nature conservancy as part of a purchase of a larger 325 acres (132 ha). The city (which Palin was mayor of) filed a lawsuit claiming ownership of a portion of the land Lundgren had acquired, but a federal c