THUNDER BAY - Two city parks will have one less boarded rink this season, which has sparked debate in city council about its policy on how outdoor rinks are managed.
During Monday night’s city council meeting, Cory Halvorsen, manager of Parks and Open Spaces, informed council that two boarded rinks, one at Tarbutt Park and one at Wayland Park, will be removed this year, leaving each park with a single boarded rink and a pond.
The decision to remove the rink is based on usage being down, with a five-year study indicating that the rinks only see approximately eight users per hour combined. In order to warrant two rinks, they would have to see approximately 10 users per hour.
Eliminating the second rink at each site will see savings of between $2,000 and $3,000 for setup, take down, and maintenance. The money that is saved will remain in the Parks and Open Spaces division to be used for other recreational initiatives.
Second rinks were removed from the two sites in 2013, and then replaced again in 2016. Some on council questioned if the issue should be discussed during the 2018 budget considerations.
“We should have been informed at the time that rinks were being put back,” Coun. Iain Angus said. “That just muddies the water. We should leave decisions like this to the budget, which would mean rinks would stay in place, then in 2018 budget consideration, council can decide if this will be one of the reductions.”
However, city manager, Norm Gale, clarified that this is not a budget issue because no money is being taken away from the budget.
“Administration is following a policy adopted by council,” Gale said. “This is not a budget issue. We are not cutting the budget. This is about efficiencies on the inside and we are doing as we were directed.”
Decisions regarding outdoor rinks fall under the Outdoor Rink Policy, established nearly 50 years ago, which had some councilors questioning why this was brought before council in the first place.
Westfort Coun. Joe Virdiramo, who is holding a ward meeting on Nov. 16, asked if the decision to remove the rinks could wait until after the meeting in order to get feedback from people living in the area.
Halvorsen explained that based on the Outdoor Rink Policy, no public consultation is required, and with crews already preparing to install outdoor rinks, it would be best that the decision move forward as it stands. He did clarify that there is the possibility that rinks could be installed in November if the weather allows.
“If constituents say they want them, I would advise them to make a deputation to council and see if it can be done,” Virdiramo said after the meeting. “It may be late. I am hoping they will wait until my ward meeting and see what happens.”
According to Virdiramo, the savings from removing the rinks is not worth taking them out of commission, especially if it is a good season that could result in an increase in use. He also pointed to the fact that the second rink was added again in 2016, demonstrating an increase in use.
Virdiramo added that council should review the Outdoor Rink Policy to avoid similar issues arising down the road.
“They didn’t even have to come to us,” he said. “The rinks would just disappear and no one would even know. I think there should be some consultation. We do that all the time. And in this case, a policy that is 50 years old, I think it needs to be looked at.”
