The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Gliding through winter
City making final preparations for ice skating rink by riverfront
MIDDLETOWN — Down at Harbor Park, a 60-by-120-foot plot dug from the earth provides a sweeping view of the Connecticut River’s frozen surface.
Soon, the area will be home to a synthetic ice skating rink that will provide affordable outdoor recreation for people of all ages. Entry fees will be $3 for kids and $5 for adults. Nonresident adults will pay $8.
The Common Council approved the fee structure for the rink at its Tuesday night meeting, paving the way for the $180,000 project to be ready for public use by February.
“What’s ironic is it’s happening during the biggest cold snap we’ve had — where there is actually real ice out there,” Common Councilman Sebastian N. Giuliano said Wednesday. “There’s certainly demand for skating ponds, but they’re probably not the safest thing. This is low-maintenance, can be easily set up and taken down. You can put it just about anywhere that’s flat and you can skate.”
The cost is funded by the $33.5 million parks bond that voters approved in 2015.
The white EZ Glide 350 panels, which employ a dovetail joint system, allowing them to be easily connected, are expected to be delivered Jan. 29, said William Russo, director of public works. Installation will begin immediately.
Since it’s well into the winter season, Russo said, the rink will be open as a test run.
“The goal this year is see how it works, see what we can do better, see how the hours are, and we’ll keep it open for as long (in the year) as the demand is there,” he said.
The city will be buying sheds to store the panels in the off-season, skates, which will be available for rental at $4 a pair, and eventually, a blade sharpener. Next winter, Russo anticipates the city will buy storage trailers and the rink will be open around Nov. 1.
The same EZ Glide technology is used by Disney on Ice, he said.
“We don’t need a zamboni to run the ice, we don’t need refrigeration. We don’t need anything along those lines,” he said.
Catherine Lechowicz, director of Recreation & Community Services, will be responsible for the operation once the “ice” is ready
for skaters, she said.
Under Giuliano’s tenure as mayor, around 2008, the city bought a fillable ice rink liner — which looks like a shallow swimming pool — and allowed users to skate once the temperature was cold enough to freeze the water.
It was installed at Pat Kidney field.
“It never really got cold enough to freeze, so that was an $11,000 duck pond,” Giuliano said.
Also, the ground there was very uneven, he said.
“We looked at synthetic ice because it’s not weatherdependent,” he said. “You can use this stuff in the summer. It’s impressive.”
Giuliano said he recently watched a video taken in Rhode Island where one town uses bumper cars on the ice.
“I don’t know if we have enough space to fit bumper cars, but that would be a hoot. I think it would be hysterical,” Giuliano said.
The panels are reversible, and, according to EZ Glide, as they get scratched from normal use, skating speed increases. The surface performs better the more it is used. They won’t degrade either in sunlight, or warp as temperatures increase or decrease, according to EZ Glide.
“It’s a great outdoor family activity that will bring more people down to the river. It’ll be a beautiful backdrop for ice skating,” Lechowicz said.
Lechowicz said she looked at synthetic rinks in Westerly, R.I., and spoke to a group that had installed a pop-up rink in Fairfield paid for by fundraiser proceeds.
“They said it was fantastic,” Lechowicz said. “It was a March day, 60 degrees, and they had hundreds and hundreds of people come to check it out. We’ll be able to run it on days like that — which is a real benefit — and it doesn’t need the same level of maintenance as real ice.”
Lechowicz is working on getting at least one pass available for checkout at Russell Library and her office is determining a way for lower-income people to enjoy a discount.
“It shows Middletown is making efforts to really build community, whether it’s restaurants or the riverfront that’s being created, or skating,” said Common Councilwoman Deborah Kleckowski. “It’s a fabulous addition to our recreation. I think it’s going to be wonderful.”
Giuliano said he remembers during his childhood when people used to skate at Pameacha Pond off South Main Street.
“There were always stories about somebody cracking the ice and falling through,” he said.
Another spot was up at Connecticut Valley Hospital, near the greenhouse.
“If you go now, there’s a little depression filled with vegetation, but the little pond used to freeze up,” Giuliano said.
Pike’s Ravine on High Street was another area where people would skate, but none of these were sanctioned due to safety issues. “Did the city run those? No. People just did it,” Giuliano said.
The problem with natural ice is, unless there is a prolonged deep freeze, the temperature doesn’t get cold enough to ensure a safe surface, he said.
Temporary lights will be installed at the rink for evening use and permanent ones will be put in place next year. The goal is to open by the end of February, said Lechowicz, and the city is prepared to adopt a wait-and-see policy to determine its popularity.
“We’ll be more than happy to keep it open,” she said. “If it’s something where interest wanes in the warmer weather, it can be taken down and put into storage. We see this as a soft season, since we’re getting it later in the year. Next year, we’re excited to go full fledge.”
The rink will be open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.
Giuliano said he has one reservation about lacing up his skates once the rink is up and running.
“I think 65-year-old ankles won’t do well,” Giuliano, who added he’s confident his daughter will get his 1-yearold grandson out on the ice. Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day@hearstmediact.com.