SALAMANCA — The Bill Flanigan Memorial Ice Rink, a popular spot for community activity and enrichment in years past, has had a lonely couple of winters.
Nearly a month into what usually is the coldest time of year, the pond at the end of Fawn Avenue has yet to open for the 2021-22 season.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on the ice pond,” said Rob Carpenter, Department of Public Works superintendent, earlier this week during the public works commission meeting.
On Tuesday the ice was 2 inches thick and some parts were 3 inches thick by Wednesday evening, Carpenter said.
“It’s supposed to be a cold weekend coming, but we still need more ice than 2½ inches,” he said. “We need at least 4 or 5 inches of ice.”
Carpenter said it’s up to the city council if the pond will open for skating or not, which is often dependent on the weather cooperating and having volunteers to supervise.
“We still have to spray it and smooth it out,” he added. “There is a lot of work to do.”
Mayor Sandy Magiera said the Seneca Nation had expressed interest in helping operate the ice pond as far as having adults supervise it from the warming hut and manage concessions.
“That would be great if they wanted to do it,” Carpenter said. “I really don’t have the staff to watch it at night.”
The council, which also acts as the public works commission, approved continuing to prepare the pond and open it if the ice is thick enough.
“I think if we can open it for the kids, let’s open it,” said councilwoman Janet Koch, D-Ward 5.
“I think we should open it for sure,” agreed councilwoman Kylee Johnson, D-Ward 2.
The ice pond was closed for the 2020-21 season as a precaution amid COVID-19. Although the pond could open this year if the ice is thick enough, skaters would be required to wear a mask when inside the warming hut and limit the number of people inside at a time, council members agreed.
It takes a lot of time and manpower to prepare the pond each year, and recent weather trends have made that more difficult. Temperatures were cold enough to open the pond fewer than 10 times in 2019 and 2020, while it was open more than 30 days a season less than a decade ago.
Magiera said there had been talks for several years about the possibility of a project with the Seneca Nation to install a refrigeration system at the pond to make the ice rink last longer during the winter and use the space for other sports and activities during the summer.
“The kids need more places to play soccer, T-ball, football, whatever,” she said. “It may not be the ideal place now but it could be. It has parking and it’s big enough.”
