Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 12/14/2023

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Recreation Coordinator Proulx confirmed that she has been making a list of potential partners and the schools/community education are included on that list. 5.02: Consider Reduction in Ice Skating Operations and Maintenance Parks & Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood stated that a lot of background information was included in the case and provided a brief overview going back to 1977. He commented on the staff time needed to create and maintain ice for skating. He noted that there has been a decline in outdoor ice skating as more teams and skaters tend to use indoor ice. He commented on the significant snowfall that also makes outdoor rinks unusable for a period of days. He noted that about ten years ago the two skating facilities had 5,000 to 7,000 users and now the use is about half of that even though the population has grown significantly during that period. He recommended shuttering the facility at Ramsey Elementary for the 2023-2024 to gauge whether the Central Park facility would be enough to serve the needs of the community. He noted that they would place a large sign at Ramsey Elementary directing users to Central Park. He stated that once they have the data from this season, they would reassess to determine if one location would better serve the community. Commissioner Sis asked if there has been consideration of making Ramsey Elementary a more self-serve location that is not staffed. Parks & Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood replied that they have done that when there has been a lack of rink attendants. He noted that does not work as well as people appreciate being able to go inside to put skates on and warm up. He commented that there have also been issues with vandalism and behavior of older children when there is not an attendant. He commented that it is still a significant cost to set up the ice. Commissioner Loss asked if there would be a way to track people that first attempted to go to Ramsey Elementary before going to Central Park. Parks &Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood commented that they could use the numbers from this last winter for comparison and assume that the increase would be people that previously used Ramsey Elementary. Motion by Commissioner Sis, seconded by Commissioner Loss, to forego the opening of the Ramsey Elementary skating rink for the 2023-2024 skating season, with a focus on the Central Park skating rink this year. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Chair Barten; Commissioners Sis, Loss, and Leistico. Voting No: None. Absent: Commissioners Arts, Bennett, and Olson. 6. COMMISSION/STAFF INPUT Recreation Coordinator Proulx provided a recap on recent program offerings and events and also highlighted upcoming events and programing opportunities. Park and Recreation Commission/October 12, 2023 Page 4 of 5