COEUR d'ALENE - A cool wind swirled dust in the sprawling parking lot outside the skating rink Tuesday morning, whipping up a refreshing reminder that hockey playing and ice skating season soon will be here.

But inside the unfinished arena owned by the nonprofit Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization, not even a breeze stirred. Just when KYRO supporters had hoped a whirlwind of construction would noisily be hammering home the finishing touches, a lone volunteer painting some stair steps represented the sum of activity in the 37,000-square-foot building as the final hours of August slipped away.

"Everybody who looks at this realizes it's going to be great for the community," said Vince Hughes, KYRO's president. "We just need to get it opened."

The heavily trekked dirt covering much of the facility's floors and 200-foot-long, National Hockey League-sized rink are the first signs that "just getting it opened" is going to take a little doing. There aren't any lights or even lockers in the locker rooms yet. The snack bar isn't lacking merely the snacks; there's no place to put them, either.

But this $2.8 million glass is far from half empty. The size and quality of construction inspire visitors, Hughes said, particularly those who had experienced the previous rendition, a ramshackle pole barn-type facility which was essentially crushed by record-breaking snows in 2008.

"This isn't really a replacement," said Hughes as he pointed to concrete block walls and steel roof trusses. "It's an upgrade."

And with another $150,000 or so, the upgraded KYRO ice rink/community center can open this fall.

Tuesday's tour was led by Hughes. Accompanying him were Matthew Beam, KYRO's manager; Skip Fuller, a supercharged KYRO volunteer; and Jim Faucher, a fundraising consultant who was instrumental in local campaigns ranging from the Kootenai Medical Center Foundation to the Kroc Community Center.

Faucher said September is full of promise, with some sizable donations - including a possible corporate sponsor involved in naming rights - perhaps waiting in the wings.

"We've made the second round on a large grant," he added, but acknowledged that right now, progress on the facility has stopped until funding arrives.

Community support can be expressed in some creative ways.

For $10,000, Fuller explained, someone is going to get the ice-treating Zamboni machine to look like just about anything they want it to represent.

"If Ron Nilson wanted to make it look like one of his Underground trucks, we could do that," Fuller said.

Naming rights are available for the rooms, too - locker rooms and birthday party/meeting room included.

And the Wall of Honor, on the right side just as visitors enter the facility, will permanently recognize each donor giving $1,000 or more.

Because KYRO is a 501 (c) 3, all donations are tax deductible.

But the furious drive for funds does not mean KYRO officials are breaking the bank. Hughes is ensuring that every possible bargain is fully explored - and taken advantage of, if possible.

For instance, the turbo chiller that could freeze two large ice rinks would cost $400,000 new. KYRO acquired one just two years old in Pasco, Wash., for $90,000.

The humidifier, which normally sells for $65,000 and requires closer to $100,000 total to purchase, ship and install, was acquired from a conscientious company in Michigan for $44,000 - and the company is cutting that price in half because it believes in KYRO's nonprofit mission.

"We don't feel like we need everything new," Hughes said, "but five years from now we want to make sure we haven't shot ourselves in the foot."

Eventually, KYRO has truly grand plans. The new facility was built with the future in mind and room for a second rink separated from the first rink by a window-filled hallway.

"You'll be able to watch a hockey game on this side," Hughes said, pointing to the existing rink, "and watch your son or daughter during free skate on that side."

But that's off in an uncharted future. For now, Hughes and his team are pushing for the funding needed to open the doors - and to serve the community.

KYRO is expected to serve several thousand visitors a week, primarily youth. Supporters hope to have it open year-round.

The new facility also will help the local economy. Because its rink will finally be regulation sized with comfortable locker rooms, regional hockey tournaments, broomball tournaments and other visitor attractions will be hosted there. That wasn't possible with the old rink.

The gap between what is and what can be isn't much.

"To open this fall we still need about $150,000," Hughes said. "There would still be some things that wouldn't be done at that point, but that would get us open."

And getting open is the only goal right now.

How to help

n Can you help open the new Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization's facility on Seltice Way in Coeur d'Alene? Go to www.kyro.org or call KYRO Manager Matthew Beam at 765-4423.