MARQUETTE — The reopening of Lakeview Arena has been delayed due to COVID-19 concerns.

Marquette City Manager Mike Angeli wrote in a letter to city commissioners that he and Mayor Jenna Smith have decided not to move forward with Lakeview Arena’s normal schedule. The original plan was to begin making ice around Sept. 1, with ice rental, which includes youth hockey, to begin around Sept. 21.

“However, because of the local current COVID situation, it seems prudent to delay this opening and not allow ice use until we are comfortable that we will not overly risk the spread of the virus,” Angeli said.

The new plan, he said, is to re-evaluate the situation on a two-week basis beginning on Sept. 21. Then a decision will be made whether to begin making ice at that time to open the arena for ice rental use on Oct. 5. If the arena won’t open by Oct. 5, the situation will be re-evaluated on that date, and so on.

Smith said in a Facebook video that it was purely a “health and safety decision.”