WARRENDALE, Allegheny County — The general manager of Blade Runners Ice Complex put to rest reports about the rink's status.

Jim Lybarger of Kratsa Development confirmed the double ice rink in Thorn Hill Industrial Park has been for sale since July for $6.15 million. But reports that a lawyer bought it, or that UPS or FedEx are buying it to turn into a handling facility or other scuttlebutt are not true.

The rink is one of five in the area for sale.

He said the Ice Connection of Pittsburgh in Middlesex Township; the Airport Ice Arena in Moon Township, Allegheny County; and the Valley Sports Complex in New Kensington, Westmoreland County, are all for sale.

Also, Lybarger said Kratsa is selling its Bethel Park ice rink.

"So the market is also saturated," he said of rinks that can be bought.

Bob Simpson, the owner of Ice Connection of Pittsburgh for 21 years, said he and his wife put up their rink for sale so they can dedicate more time to their family and their steel business.

Lybarger said Kratsa decided to sell its Warrendale and its Bethel Park rinks because the utility and maintenance costs are unmanageable.

"It's extreme cost," said Lybarger. "Utility costs, particularly in that Warrendale location, electric and gas are sky high. You can only pass on so much to the consumer before you start turning people away, and that's a delicate balance."

Lybarger said no one has looked at the property since it went up for sale. He said the downturn in the economy has limited access to loans for recreational purchases.

Lybarger stressed Kratsa is interested in selling the property to someone to keep it as an ice rink, but added Kratsa's main business is hotel development.

"The investment group is looking at other opportunities (for the Blade Runners building) and exploring possibilities. Our hope is that it is kept as an ice rink," he said.

Blade Runners in Warrendale is home ice to hockey teams from the North Allegheny, Seneca Valley, Mars and Ambridge school districts, and Slippery Rock University men's and women's hockey teams also call it home.

The North Pittsburgh Wildcats, an amateur hockey organization that has 20 teams, also plays there.

Lybarger said even if the rink were sold now, it would take until at least spring to finalize it.

"We're getting into our busiest months, and people looking to plan an event shouldn't worry," Lybarger said. "Thanks to these rumors, people are afraid to put deposits down on a birthday party, but it's nothing to worry about. We're not going to shut the door on these kids."

Lybarger said it is business as usual at Blade Runners for the future.

"And it's going to continue that way until something breaks," Lybarger said. "It's not like we're going to turn it around and sell it in 30 days."

Unlike Lybarger, Simpson has had a handful of prospective buyers look at the Ice Connection facility since it went up for sale a year and a half ago. Simpson said at $1.1 million, his smaller, single-rink facility is more affordable than the newer, multi-rink facilities such as Blade Runners and Valley Sports Complex, which is listed for $6 million.

Simpson said Butler, Pine-Richland, Hampton and Deer Lakes school districts call Ice Connection home as does the Community College of Allegheny County and the Butler Valley Youth Hockey, which has 11 teams.

Simpson also wants to see his facility remain an ice rink. But he worries about the teams and patrons associated with the higher-end facilities for sale.

"If they want to sell those facilities and keep them ice rinks, they're going to have a heck of a tough time," Simpson said. He said all of the prospective buyers who looked at Ice Connection intended to continue it as an ice rink.