Rink of Dreams

[XLFD]

The dream began a few years back, when a small group of people approached the City's Building & Licensing Committee and suggested that a combination summer Splash Pad and winter ice skating rink would be an excellent addition to bring more people to the downtown area (it was proposed on East Ludington Avenue, on the vacant lot just east and across the street of the library).  The idea was shot down in committee then, but the germ of that idea came up once again just before this last Halloween and described by the Mason County Press.

Over the next few weeks, the idea was brought up repeatedly in the sites inter-related to the Downtown Ludington Board and the media for marketing and in more City committees and even the council, which unanimously approved the idea on November 12:

"Interim City Manager Brock introduced a plan by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to put in a synthetic ice rink in the north James Street Plaza for the public to skate for free. The DDA has raised money to pay for this rink through sponsorships by DDA members. He stated that these sheets of material put together in a puzzle fashion would be 20’ x 40’ and will cost approximately $8,000. If the DDA receives additional sponsorships, they would like to purchase and install additional sheets for a larger rink to accommodate more skaters. The life of these panels is 7-8 years.

The DDA Board authorized the purchase of the ice rink up to the amount of sponsorships received and it is up to City Council to decide to allow the DDA to put this ice rink on public property. Councilor Winczewski questioned the maintenance on this rink and who would be cleaning the snow off of it. It was explained that shovels and a broom will be set up so it will be up to the users of the rink to keep it clean. City Attorney Richard Wilson asked about the time frame for ordering and installing the rink and annually what time frame would it be set up for use by the public. Councilor Cain stated that the DDA would like to have this up in mid-December for the holiday shopping in the downtown. It is expected that it will be set up during the winter months to begin with... Motion carried."

Around December 13, it was noted that the small rink was almost ready, and by December 20, Interlochen Public Radio heralded its operation, relating it would be set up through March after talking with the rink's main impetus-provider, Jen Tooman.    

Yet, the small 800 sq. ft. rink didn't allow for much room, so you just didn't see the people utilizing this rink.  The second batch of synthetic ice panels were purchased for another $8000 or so and arrived after some of the winter's worst weather, to be installed around February 3rd.

But winter resumed shortly after this expansion, and a weird thing happened.  It was noted from the start that use of the rink would be free, funded effectively by the donor businesses who would get advertising as some compensation on the fence panels.  Which is great, but it was also noted that the users would have the task of shoveling and/or sweeping the surface of the rink so that it could be used for skating.  This doesn't seem to be happening; throughout the month, the rink has been covered with snow, even though there hasn't been a lot of snow and the snow has been mostly been of the fluffy, easy to shovel/sweep variety.  Here's what I saw yesterday:

Clearly, the height of snow in the rink seems to be the same height of the snow on the outside.  There doesn't seem to be any signs of skating on the inside of the rink, no signs of shoveled snow on the outside, even though there hasn't been any significant snow since the previous weekend.  Frankly, I wasn't able to see any sort of snow removal equipment rather than a shovel in the immediate area, which didn't seem to have been used recently:

It made me curious as to why there wasn't public interest in using the synthetic ice skating rink, but then I slept on that thought and returned this morning.  I walked onto the rink area with my usually-reliable winter shoes, and had a hard time keeping my footing and not throwing my back out on the synthetic ice underlying the snow, deceptively hiding the slick surface.

And then it hit me; how difficult would it be to shovel (or sweep) off this synthetic surface when it's all you can do to retain your footing, then still remain vertical when you carry that snow on the shovel to the side and toss it over the fence?  

This rink will fail in its potential to draw anybody to the downtown if the original dream is not modified in some way.  Can a pavilion be placed over the skating area to keep out most of the snow?  Can the downtown wizards jerryrig a device to function like a snow-removing Zamboni and have somebody to use it when needed?  Will skate rentals become a reality from Gordy's or other businesses?  Will they have a 'skating event' to formally introduce the rink to the public or just announce it again through various media and hope it sees use?

The money is spent, and they have a few seasons to iron out the wrinkles and make this work, otherwise this could become nearly a $20,000 mistake for the downtown businesses.

[AQUAMAN]

Speaking of that Splash Pad again, where is the water line going to come from to furnish that very big need for water? You can't use the existing lines there now, as they are only big enough for restrooms/fish cleaning. I believe they would require a 2"-3" diameter line for enough pressure to feed it. That alone will cost several thousand dollars to run a big line down the hill, and over to the pad, plus more restrooms/showers. Didn't think about that before till now. Anyone else know?

[Freedom Seeker]

Who knows? We're not supposed to think about things like that, don't ya know? The great Wizards will do it all. And don't be concerned about any of that infrastructure stuff, the water/sewer costs or maintenance costs, or sidewalks or parking or safety or whether there will be bathhouses or any of that or whether we want to shoot the geese out of the park. It's none of our concern and it's all taken care of by the master planners and the don't think we should know nuthing about nuthin. Just shut up and pay your taxes and the more we can get from you, the better.

[Freedom Seeker]

By the way, just who do you think you are asking those kind of questions? This is not a government of the people, by the people, or for the people but a government by the few who do what they want behind closed doors and ridicule, and intimidate and drag your name through the mud and stomp on it if you dare speak up. Thank you very much.

[stump]

  Did a little research on splash pad water supplies in cooler climates. Seems they put in huge holding tanks that recalculate the water. The tank is similar to a pool with a heater , chemicals and pumps. Wonder how much electricity /gas a 10,000 gallon tank would cost to keep heated to a non shocking cold spray?. Hope they can treat the Goose poop that will be rinsed down the drain to be recycled.  That right there would turn me off letting the grand kids playing there.

[Freedom Seeker]

i heard they chose the freshwater style so they can run fresh water and not have to treat recirculating water with swimming pool chemicals.  Then they can just run the waste into the PM lake or a storm drain if they don't get a permit to run it into the lake.  But yes, it seems like it will take a lot more pressure and bigger mains to keep something like 60 psi running.  Fresh water style was disclosed city coyncil meeting notes but it was all decided before the public heard anything.