The business and building were developed by Port Orchard attorney and real estate developer Darlene Piper, whose family has been involved in running skating rinks for 25 years.

“We were looking for solutions with the rainy weather to keep kids active,” Piper said. The result of that effort: a 32,000 square foot indoor recreation center. The building is comprised of the 18,000 square foot SK8Town roller rink which is dominated by a nearly 10,000 square foot skating floor.

But although Sk8town looks at first glance to be a fairly typically roller rink, it’s designed to be much more. The flooring used to create the rink is an “all purpose sport court” that can be used for other activities besides roller skating. And when the rink was built it was surrounded by protective Plexiglas windows and netting to accommodate other sporting activities.

“We could do an indoor soccer or basketball league,” said Jack Edwards, Sk8town’s general manager. “[the floor] doesn’t limit us in what we can do.”

The nascent recreation center is still in the process of building organized programs, but it currently has a pick-up roller hockey game once a week and the area’s women’s roller derby team, the Slaughter County Roller Vixens, are using the rink for practice and will be holding roller derby bouts there when they begin playing against other teams.

“[Roller derby] is a big thing now,” said Edwards. “It’s a resurgence across the nation.”

Both Piper and Edwards hope the roller derby events will evolve into another sporting event attraction for the Kitsap County area.

“We can hold over 1,000 spectators here,” said Piper.

As these programs begin to build momentum, the recreation center’s business is focused for the time being on public skate sessions and group events.

“A lot of schools are coming in,” said Piper. “We co-sponsor PTA functions; we have a ton of those. Also church groups, youth leagues, we are to the brim here on Friday and Saturday nights.”

The 5,000 square foot Port Orchard Event Center which accommodates up to 300 guests, can be rented out in full, or groups can purchase one of the center’s full-service party packages. A full-service snack bar at one end and a small video game arcade at the other round out the center, making it an ideal, safe place for school age children to come hang out with their friends.

Public skate prices range from $5 to $7, for afternoon or evening skating, which includes standard skate rental. Upgrades to inline skates cost an additional $2. Skaters are welcome to bring their own skates, as well, and Edwards noted that the center’s top-of-the-line, all purpose floor can accommodate both indoor and outdoor use skates.

Sk8town’s current customer base is predominantly elementary school and pre-teen age children. But Edwards, who joined the center’s staff a few weeks ago, is working to create events and programs that will appeal to adults, as well, such as adult only evening skates. Meanwhile adults who accompany their children to the rink and don’t want to skate, or dodge children, can escape to a quieter upstairs lounge complete with a pool table and Internet access. The upstairs area overlooks the rink, so parents can still keep an eye on their kids below.

“The upstairs is still a work in progress,” said Piper, who plans to add an additional pool table, and some more comfortable seating to increase the space’s lounge atmosphere.

Since the center opened last fall, business has been doing well, and it appears that Piper has successfully filled a niche missing in south Kitsap for some time.

“The phone never stops ringing,” said Piper, “[the public] wants to know what’s going on all the time.”

For more information about Sk8town, or to see the current skating schedule, visit www.sk8townpo.com.