As usual perfect timing, just in time for the weather to start warming up. Why not take advantage of the cooler weather we had the past week and a half and ready the rink then. Now they ready it just in time for the warm spell we are getting next week. They are even forecasting rain/snow one of the days. So much for skating.

Bent….why don’t you get your butt down there and tell them volunteers how to make ice. Better yet Bent, get your butt down there and volunteer. I’m sure your expertise would be graciously accepted.

I did. They told me to come back when it was warmer. They told me it was too cold to be working outside.

I have no first hand knowledge of when they started flooding the ice oval. However, we have had good ice making weather for around 5 days. My guess is that they have been working hard for 5 days making ice and the ice is now think enough to allow the public to skate on it. They need to have a fairly think layer of ice to meet safety requirement.

They should have enough ice to make it through the warm period forecast for next weekend.

Bent writes:

As usual perfect timing, just in time for the weather to start warming up. Why not take advantage of the cooler weather we had the past week and a half and ready the rink then.

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I’ll bite on this one. Here is the short answer: they have been. The volunteers that maintain the facility and build the ice have been preparing the oval for much of the fall and for the past two weeks have been working on the base and getting it ready for ice. It is a long and slow process to build an initial layer of ice and thicken it layer by layer. They can build up a layer of ice about 3/16″ at a time. To make a nice level surface thick enough on a gravel base takes a lot of initial work with fire hoses and then a whole bunch of trips with the water truck. Then, you have to wait for the water to freeze. And then you start with the truck again. Remember, volunteers do this on their time, for no pay, when they can, because they do.

This group knows what it is doing. They are quite experienced and encourage people with strong backs and open minds to come out and learn the process and help where needed. Visit them on their website or check out their Facebook page. A simple google search is all that is required.

Let’s face it Bent has never made an ice rink for him/herself or for the kids in the back yard. I used to make one for myself in my early teens. Of course, in those days one was not faced with all those periodic thaws we have now.

It is ignorant, un-informed comments like that one from Bent that makes me wonder just what is wrong with some peoples thinking.
Volunteers make these kind of things run. A few dedicated individuals make it possible for many hundreds to enjoy these facilities.
Maybe a few hundred hours of volunteer community service by Bent would be a good idea.

Just about time for them to start crying or suggesting or screaming again for artificial ice..or freezing coils for outside or whatever you call it… Council seems to be flush with taxpayer’s money right now.
Ought to be a shoe in along with the golf course money that they are pretending to ponder and I think they already decided to do it.