With outdoor skating season in full swing, Thunder Bay's Parks department wants to find ways to help residents enjoy the facilities longer.
One option is putting a roof over some ice surfaces to keep the sun off the ice into the spring.
“One of the issues we have with outdoor rinks is the fact that once the sun warms up the ice surface in the spring, it starts to pull away and bubble up,” said Parks Manager Paul Fayrik, during an interview with CKPR Radio Tuesday.
“If we put a roof over it, which I think has been done in a number of other communities, it keeps the sun from directly hitting the ice and therefore giving us an extra couple of weeks out of the rink.”
Fayrik added that the idea of having a roof over a rink could also prove beneficial in the summer months.
“It will improve the quality of the ice, and it will also give us a covered space for the summer as well,” he said.
Fayrik said there is no budget for the project at this time and will be looking to take it to council for consideration.
(CKPR Radio)
