The winter season is upon us which can only mean a couple of things; the temperature is going to drop, and water will turn to ice, which means skating and hockey comes alive.
This year, the DCA Board has decided to take the plunge and expand the ice rink behind the community centre. The current rink is 75 x 75 but will expand to cover the entire width of the building. The boards will still remain 2 feet high, which is more enjoyable for pleasure skaters and beginner hockey enthusiasts. The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of October and will be ready for new ice as soon as it is cold enough to flood the rink.
With the increased size comes increased responsibilities. Currently, Tom and a few other people have been doing most of the rink maintenance, but the larger size will require more help, especially after a large snow fall. Shannon Wiens was nice enough to donate a large snow blower that needed only a bit of maintenance to get it working again. Having this snow blower will be a great help with snow removal but we should have another one, so if you know of a blower sitting around collecting dust that is a larger size, please let the DCA know so we can put it to good use.
Once the temperature drops, Tom will be needing help to maintain the rink. His goal is to clear and flood at least a couple times a week with a crew of three or four people. If you are willing to help for a regular shift or two, please contact Tom at [email protected]. Even if you aren’t able to commit to regularly helping, the rink will need extra helpers after every large snow fall.
Last winter the rink was used regularly by a large number of Dalhousie residents, and we anticipate more of the same this year with the increased rink size. We hope to see you out this year and please consider helping to maintain this great local resource.
Barry Olsen and John Piera
