When John Komlos got into the construction business 25 years ago, he never considered being asked to build a professional-size ice hockey rink. His specialities as an engineer are in residential, office and warehouse construction.

He said he had serious doubts a couple of years ago when the Meramec Sharks Youth Hockey Club approached Arco Construction Co., where Komlos is vice president of sales, about converting more than 30,000 square feet of unused warehouse space in south St. Louis County into a National Hockey League regulation-size, 85-foot by 200-foot ice rink.

"My first reaction was, 'I don't think we can do it,'" Komlos said. "But after some discussion, it was truly a meeting of the minds. We felt comfortable with the risk."

The result is that Arco, based in Brentwood, is putting the finishing touches on six months of construction of the FSI Shark Tank at 6297 Lemay Ferry Road, which rink manager Mark Stanko says stands up well against any other amateur hockey players' ice rink in the St. Louis area.

The hardest work now behind him, Komlos agreed with Stanko.

"At the end of the day, the rink fits the space well," Komlos said. "It's an NHL-sized rink, and everything in there is state of the art."

What gave Komlos the most pause when Arco was asked to build the rink were the support posts in the middle of the building. The warehouse building was designed to have posts supporting its roof and not for the big, open space required of a rink. The problem eventually was solved by replacing the posts with a large steel truss.

"We were able to put a truss under the existing steel below the roof to catch the load," Komlos said.

Soon thereafter, almost half of the large warehouse that was built by Arco three years ago had a new use. The rink was built at the south end of the building. The north end is still used by Flooring Systems Inc., a business owned by Komlos' brother, Ron. The flooring company is a major sponsor of the rink, and the company's initials are part of the rink's name.

GMA Design Group Inc., a division of Arco Holdings, was the rink project's architect. The entire warehouse building is owned by Meramec Bottom Development LLC, based in South County.

Building the ice rink in the existing building cost about $1.5 million, with most of the financing arranged through Frontenac Bank. The not-for-profit Meramec Sharks are helping to pay off that debt through the dues of member families. The hockey club has about 375 member families and supports about 25 teams in various divisions for players ages 4 through 16.

Stanko said informal men's and women's hockey leagues, called the Old Sharks and the Ice Queens, also would use the new rink this fall.

The air-conditioned building can be used year-round, but the leagues play their schedules from September through March. Teams for the coming hockey season will be formed soon, Stanko said.

The rink already is being used for practice by those who plan to join a team this fall. Stanko said he also considered opening it for public skating at some times, but a final decision hasn't been made on that.

With the exception of installing the bleachers and a few other items that don't involve the ice, construction is finished. The ice has been ready and used for practice for about a month.

The FSI Shark Tank also will be the new home of the Lutheran South High School and Illinois Frontenac Junior B hockey clubs. Stanko said Oakville High School also was considering use of the rink.

The Meramec Sharks teams had played at the All American Sports Mall near Interstate 55 and Lindbergh Boulevard since 2003. But Stanko said that rink was smaller than a regulation NHL-size rink and was becoming inadequate for the growing youth league.

The Meramec Sharks were founded as a hockey club in 1970. They have played over the years at rinks in Fenton and Ballwin in addition to South County. The club draws its players from South County, much of Jefferson County and parts of Monroe County.

Stanko said the Shark Tank was in an ideal location to serve all of its players with a relatively short drive from their homes.

The new rink has four new team locker and shower areas, two referee locker and shower areas, a 2,500-square-foot concession and warming area on a 16-inch viewing platform and a bleacher section that will seat 350 when the bleachers are installed in the next few weeks.

Komlos said another challenge was building the rink itself above the concrete slab that is the floor of the warehouse.

"There's now 10 inches of 'stuff' above the slab," he said. That includes the freezing coils to form the ice, PVC water pipes and layers of insulating material.

Stanko said he was thrilled with the nearly completed project.

"It's capable of handling pretty much anything involving ice skating and hockey," he said.