Editor: Just trying to catch up on the local news here, about the study requested by Anthony Ceccacci regarding the creation of an outdoor skating rink.
I remember skating on McKeough Park’s rink, off of Grand Avenue West and St. Clair Street in Chatham, roughly around 30 years ago.
It was an open skating situation and there was only one other person with me on the whole rink.
I think with our fluctuating temperatures, outdoor rinks in this area are very hard to maintain and keep from melting in the winter sun, even if only for a few hours’ time.
It sounds like a nice idea, but how much would it cost to start up and maintain? Plus, the number of people that would use it is questionable.
Around the same time, we had a skating rink at the back of the civic centre and more recently there was a rink at the Thames Commons of The Downtown Chatham Centre. There were skaters at these rinks too but for how long or how often I do not know. I would guess not very often. All three rinks were discontinued.
As for putting rinks in the other towns and villages in Chatham-Kent, I don’t know how that would go as everyone experiences different outside weather conditions in this area.
When it is bright and sunny in Chatham, it might be blowing snow in the Lake Erie area near Blenheim for instance.
I think a number of residents in the municipality might build ice rinks on their own property, from what I remember on this subject of municipal outdoor municipal ice rinks.
I remember when I was a youngster, skating on creeks and frozen ponds on farm fields was the norm. The elementary school I went to in south Kent County had an ice rink one year, that lasted for about two good weeks of skating and it then melted away.
Would council be putting a user fee on the outdoor rink to help pay for some of the maintenance costs? I think that is what the city staff do in Windsor at at least one of their outdoor rinks.
Ultimately the choice is up to council.
Frank Doyle
Chatham
