Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 11/10/2022

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Park and Recreation Commission Meeting Date: 11/10/2022 By: Mark Riverblood, Engineering/Public Works Information Title: 2022-2023 Ice Skating Season —Periodic Warming House Closures Expected 5. 2. Purpose/Background: The city has two outdoor ice skating facilities, each with two lighted hockey rinks and a pleasure rink. The facility at Central Park has a spacious warming house with fireplace, with the warming house at Ramsey Elementary smaller and with no restroom inside. The skating facilities at the school have been in existence since 1977, and the warning house at Central was completed around 1988. To create the ice, city staff floods with a water truck 24 hours per day (three 8-hour shifts by park's maintenance workers) as soon as the weather is cold enough, and the ground is frozen which can occur as early as the first week in December. After a good base of ice is established (two weeks or more of flooding), the rinks are swept and lightly flooded most weekdays. The warming houses are open at 3:30 weekdays until 9 or as late as 10 pm. The warming houses are also open weekends and holidays during the day. The two facilities are staffed by part-time rink attendants (up to 8 individuals for both locations) who monitor for site security and perform basic maintenance duties. In recent years, there has been difficulty attracting enough applicants for the rink attendant position. In 2022, attracting adequate applicants for any Public Works position has been problematic —and the forecast is that there will be a dearth of rink attendant applicants for the 2022-23 Winter skating season. Therefore, as this situation may prove out, staff will be making plans for periodic weekday closure of the warming house at Ramsey Elementary School. It should be noted, that this closure only affects the warming house proper —residents may still skate at the rinks, there just will not be access to the building nor rink lights at night. Notification: Observations/Alternatives: If enough rink attendants may be hired in the coming weeks, the warming house at Central Park would be open each day of the week, with closures only weekdays at Ramsey Elementary as staffing allows. This case is informational, intending to communicate what the public may expect for outdoor skating opportunities this Winter. For times when the warming house at the school may be closed, a sign will be posted on the building, advising persons that Central Park is open and available with the address there. The anticipated closure of one warming house on weekdays may not be a significant concern, as despite a growing population in Ramsey, rink usage has shown a steady decline as depicted in the first attachment. Funding Source: Recommendation: