The warm weather in the Energy City in February and early March forced the City of Estevan to close its outdoor rinks early this year.
The city sent out messages on their social media sites in late February, stating their two main rinks, at Rusty Duce and Westview playparks, were closed for the season. The only rink that was still open was at Torgeson Park.
Parks manager Rod March said the Torgeson rink wasn’t in the best of shape, either, and the temperatures Estevan received in the first weekend of March were going to make conditions even worse.
He notified the Mercury on Monday morning that the Torgeson rink was now closed, as grass was starting to appear inside the rink.
The outdoor rinks were well-used when they were open this year. The city staff who worked at the venues usually noticed a lot of people using them in the evenings, and people were appreciative of the service.
The ice conditions at the outdoor rinks in January and February weren’t as bad as some might expect, either. If it’s too cold outside, it’s hard to get the ice surface in ideal shape. If it’s too warm, the ice will obviously melt.
“Thanks to the volunteers, they’re on the ice when they could be on it, resurfacing the ice,” said March. “They were able to keep it operational much longer than we had anything last year. We had three rinks running this year fairly well, and next year we’re hoping to have four.”
Volunteers do a great job of maintaining the outdoor rinks, and their efforts are appreciated.
“We support them, and we do what we can as well, so we’re basically working together,” said March. “I couldn’t ask for any better situation. They keep an eye on the buildings; we have had zero incidents this year in terms of vandalism.
“We have had a couple inquiries with flying pucks (leaving the outdoor rinks), but that’s standard when you have a venue like that. There haven’t been any major incidents to worry about.”
Estevan’s fourth outdoor rink is at the Kin Playpark in the Hillside subdivision. It was closed this winter while a fundraising campaign takes place to upgrade the venue.
March noted the Kinsmen donated the old rink boards, and they were used at the Westview rink. The Westview outdoor rink will be open again next winter.
Local Kinsmen Club member Dave Elliott said the new outdoor rink at Hillside will be a permanent facility used for hockey and ice skating in the winter months, and activities such as roller derby in the summer.
They are waiting for the designs on the new rink. Then they will know their material needs, and apply for grants from a number of different sources.
“If you don’t have a solid plan in place when you apply for the grants, they’ll send you away and tell you to come back when you’re more prepared,” said Elliott.
They have already raised $65,000 and need another $60,000 before they can proceed. They hope to break ground in the spring, and Elliott is confident it could be finished by the summer.
But the club is committed to doing it once, and doing it properly, so if they need another year to get the job done properly, then Elliott said it will be worth the wait.
