Forest Glade’s Rink B forced to shut

Three weeks needed to replace chiller

One of the two ice pads at Forest Glade Arena has been placed on injured reserve for about three weeks.

As a result, city staff are busily finding ice time in other arenas for the minor sports associations booked for Rink B.

According to the city’s ice allocation policy, these youth organizations like the Windsor Minor Hockey Association get first priority, so some adult bookings are losing their times.

We apologize for the inconvenience but appreciate the understanding that kids come first.

“We apologize for the inconvenience but appreciate the understanding that kids come first,” a city news release says.

City officials are blaming an unexpected equipment failure — the 20-year-old chiller unit that keeps the ice frozen — in Rink B. It will take three weeks to get the new equipment from Toronto, for technicians to install the new unit and to make the ice surface. Rink A is not affected. Its chiller unit is just five years old.

The Rink B closure also affects public skating at Forest Glade, which was built in 1968. Cancelled skating times include: public skating Friday nights from 7:45 to 9:45 p.m.; adult/senior skating Thursdays from 9:45 to 10:45 p.m.; and parent and tot skating Thursdays from 10:45 to 11:45 p.m. At the WFCU Centre, public skating on Saturday afternoons from 4:20 to 6:20 p.m. is also cancelled.