STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO-February 24, 2021-The sounds of frozen adventure will soon come to an end as unseasonable weather has deteriorated conditions at the Community Outdoor Ice Rinks. The rinks will close for the season after the evening session on Friday, February 26.
“The rinks were meet with incredible community enthusiasm and hosted a lot of hockey and skating action over three months,” said Howelsen Ice Complex Supervisor Dmitry Chase. “We appreciate everything our team and the community did to maintain the sheets, but we’ve unfortunately reached the end of the season.”
Despite continued maintenance by rink staff, the community ice sheets have finally succumbed to Mother Nature’s longer days filled with intense sunshine and rising temperatures over the past few weeks. The rinks first opened for the season on December 8 and glided through 12 uninterrupted weeks of operation.
The facility was accessible six days a week with morning and evening sessions, all completely free to the community. Public skate, figure skating and hockey shared the ice. Parks & Recreation staff is interested in the thoughts of rink users. A survey is available at https://bit.ly/3aSP2rX to help gauge use, operations, and future direction.
“When outdoor recreation is at a premium, our community came together to shape an idea and turn that idea into reality,” commented Parks & Recreation Director Angela Cosby. “It’s refreshing to see such collaboration during the pandemic and making the best of our resources.”
The city turned the summer tennis courts, which lie dormant in winter, into two 100’ x 50’ outdoor ice rinks complete with liners, lines, sideboards and pond hockey goals. String lights were installed to enhance the evening ambiance and hockey sticks were available.
Funding was raised by community donors through contributions at the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. Founding contributors included: Steve and Jen Paoli, Central Park Liquor, HLCC Construction, Space Station Gas, Schmiggity’s, Steamboat Engineering & Design, ACE, Routt Welding Company, Billo, Elk River Real Estate and Sandy Graves Art.
-WeServeTheCity-
Contact
Angela Cosby, Parks & Recreation Director, 970.879.4300 or email
Alexis Wolf, Recreation Manager, 970.879.4300 or email
Dmitry Chase, Howelsen Ice Complex Supervisor, 970.879.4300 or email