(Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Future Planning

City considering request from school for assistance flooding outdoor skating rink

Dec 15, 2020 | 5:35 PM

The City of North Battleford is mulling over a request from Holy Family School for assistance flooding their outdoor skating rink, to keep the ice level high and suitable for skating.

Council discussed the issue when it was raised by city administration at its meeting Monday.

The principal of the school, Michelle Sarenco, said in a letter to city administration a number of side boards for the project have been built for the rink, and indicated a volunteer group of parents will be responsible for cleaning the ice.

“We would just need the city to do the flooding of the rink on an ongoing basis,” she said.

Leisure Services Director Cheryl DeNeire recommended deferring a decision for this project until the city’s 2022 budget process, as the request was received quite late in the year.

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She also noted among the challenges are the location of the Holy Family School rink project, which is a distance from the nearest fire hydrant.

DeNeire said the city already takes care of six outdoor rinks. Four are on city property and two on school property, as part of a long time agreement in place.

Many are situated far enough back on their property line so that after school hours and even during school hours the public is allowed to use the rinks.

While council recognized it is late in the year for the city to contemplate adding it to their work plan, they suggested working with the school in the future to see if there is a more suitable site where the rink can be installed potentially.

Mayor David Gillan said council will need more details before it can make a decision but they recognize the value of any projects that keep youth active.

“The information we have has led to more questions,” he said. “Obviously outdoor rinks are important to us, facilities in the city are very important.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW