Town opens new skating rink

BROOKFIELD— As freezing temperatures and snowy days continue in Connecticut, residents say a new outdoor skating rink at Williams Park is providing a fresh, outdoor respite for kids and parents alike.

Brookfield resident Jennifer Van Roekel learned about the new rink from a neighbor and knew her 14-year-old son, Luke, would love it.

“He was the first one on it, and it was just like heaven,” she said. “We probably had the first three hours to ourselves.”

The Van Roekels moved to Brookfield about a year and a half ago from New Jersey, and while they love living in the town, they missed the little ice rink they had in their old backyard.

Luke, a freshman in high school, plays hockey and is enrolled in remote learning. The early Saturday morning outing was a welcome activity, she said.

The rink opened Jan. 30, but the Parks and Recreation Department brought up the idea about three months ago, First Selectman Steve

Dunn said.

The town then moved quickly, at relatively little cost, to get the rink up and running. The quick turnaround was unusual for a construction project like this, but Dunn said that it was a welcome outdoor addition that allowed for social-distancing.

“Usually it does take quite a bit of time,” he said. “The stars kind of aligned for us.”

The Department of Public Works and the Parks and Recreation staff helped prepare the area, and the fire department filled in the rink with over 14,000 gallons of water. The rink is seasonal, and only allows for 20 people to use it at once, according to posted signage. If there is a long line of people, skating time is limited to 45 minutes.

Van Roekel said she is grateful for the efforts the town put into creating the outdoor space for residents to play, and said the town has a great sense of community.

Soon, others joined the Van Roekelels at the rink.

She posted photos of the rink in a Brookfield Facebook group with the

caption: “Nothing like an early morning skate to get the blood flowing! Sticks and pucks in the woods.” The post received close to 330 likes and dozens of comments from excited residents.

The Van Roekels returned again to skate the next day. However, with last week’s blizzard and continuing accumulation of snow in the area, Van Roekel said signage marks the rink as being temporarily closed. Experience from their old backyard rink means she knows that these areas can be hard to maintain.

“It may have been a very short lived rink.” she said. “I hope they’re able to get it stable again before winter is over.”

When the ice is covered in snow, the surface begins to thaw, so the

Parks and Rec department is working to clear snow off as it falls, said Mary Knox, Parks and Recreation department director. The snow has presented some challenges, but they aimed to get the rink up and running again by Wednesday, she said.

Aside from some seasonal programming through the Parks and Recreation department, this is the town’s first attempt to provide physical, outdoor, COVIDfriendly amenities during the winter, but Dunn said local children have been sledding and enjoying the parks in the snow.

“We’re continually brainstorming ways of meeting the needs of our community during the pandemic,” Knox said.