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Signal the skips and bring on the bonspiels: A local curling club is preparing to build the first rink in Oregon to accommodate its sport exclusively.

Earlier this month, the signed a seven- to 15-year lease agreement with for a Beaverton warehouse space with approximately 10,000 square feet. The club will soon begin renovating the space to include three curling courts, or 鈥渟heets,鈥� and a bar/viewing room for socializing.

Since the nonprofit began its fundraising campaign 鈥� D.I.Y., or Dedicated Ice in a Year 鈥� last year, it has raised between $350,000 and $400,000 for the new facility. Joe Petsche, promotions director for the club, said its membership 鈥� approximately 200 strong 鈥� was fed up with substandard ice.

Presently, Evergreen shares Lloyd Center Ice Rink with ice skaters and hockey players. That arrangement is not conducive to the precise ice conditions that curling requires.

鈥淲e have to cut the ice every day, every time we curl 鈥� and we have limited hours,鈥� Petsche said. 鈥淎nd so there鈥檚 just a lot of issues with us expanding over there, and having our own dedicated facility is just a no-brainer. It鈥檚 going to blow up curling in Portland.鈥�

Curling requires a pebbled surface 鈥� the opposite of a golf ball 鈥� that is created by sprinkling drops of water over the ice. The raised ice pebbles let curling stones glide. Zambonis don鈥檛 help matters because as they scrape the surface they create tiny ridges in the ice as they overlap their last lap, Petsche said. A ridge can ruin a curling game.

鈥淲hen a curling stone goes down the ice, your shot is really within inches; you鈥檙e shooting for something within inches,鈥� Petsche said. 鈥淚f it hits the ridge your shot can be completely off.鈥�

Indeed, curling is an intricate game of strategy with a long history; it鈥檚 often referred to as 鈥渃hess on ice.鈥� According to the World Curling Federation, the modern-day version likely evolved from a particularly bitter Northern European winter when people would toss stones over frozen lochs and ponds to pass the time. But paintings from the 16th century also portray the sport in action.

Scots made the game official in the 1800s and exported it around the world. The sport grew in popularity throughout the 20th century and became an official Winter Olympics sport in 1998.

Jon Rubey at helped Evergreen find the right building, at 10950 S.W. Fifth St. It will require some unique renovations, and construction will be divided into two phases; the first will concentrate on the rink and the second will focus on the bar. When finished, it will be the West Coast鈥檚 second dedicated curling facility; the other is in Seattle.

The Beaverton facility will include a low-e ceiling, which is an aluminum ceiling that acts as a radiant barrier between the ice and the roof. According to the Aluminum Association, radiant heat transfer between ice and a roof is the single greatest factor in heat gain for an ice rink. A private consultant from New York, Jim Hibbard, will help the club build the system.

The ice sheets themselves will require an elaborate cooling system that begins with rubber ice mats. Beneath the ice mats, a layer of rigid R-7 foam insulation will be placed to keep the concrete floor from freezing. Pipes will run from a central refrigerating system, pumping propylene glycol to the mats to keep the ice layer frozen.

Ice is created via a painstaking process that requires application of eighth-of-an-inch water layers, one at a time; each layer is allowed to freeze and then another is added. Petsche said it takes about two days to complete the process. That task needs to be repeated once a year to keep the ice pristine.

But a big part of curling happens off the ice.

鈥淧ost curling is kind of a cool thing because it鈥檚 all about socializing, and after you鈥檙e done playing a game it鈥檚 kind of good camaraderie to have a beverage 鈥� either a beer or a cola 鈥� and talk with the other team, whether it be about curling or not 鈥� just to hang out,鈥� Petsche said.

He is hoping to carry three kegs of local beer in the building; he is in the process of obtaining the required license. 鈥淲arm room鈥� patrons will be able to watch the curling unfold through a large, glass viewing wall.

Mass mailings, bake sales and grant proposals have brought the group to this point. In addition to private donations, Evergreen has received a $20,000 grant from Nike and a $90,000 loan from the World Curling Foundation.

Evergreen hopes to have the facility open for play by mid-October, as it approaches its 10-year anniversary. And with a dedicated facility at its disposal daily, the organization may be in position to grow.

The club already hosts a growing wheelchair league, and also offers curling instruction to groups for corporate team-building events, birthday parties and the like. Petsche said a local Subway restaurant franchisee has already signed up to sponsor an employee team.

鈥淎 lot of people fade into the woodwork when it鈥檚 not really good ice,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ow that we have our own place, we鈥檙e expecting to have a lot more members.鈥�