Many open questions when it comes to ice rink, Chagrin mayor says

Everything you need to know about synthetic ice – that’s what the Village of Chagrin Falls is trying to determine. Following the approval at a recent Village Council meeting for a feasibility study on a seasonal ice skating rink in Riverside Park, a matter being referred to the village’s Infrastructure and Operations Committee, potential challenges and benefits have been discussed. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. Sign Up Log In Purchase a Subscription Mayor William Tomko said there are many open questions when it comes to this type of project. Those involve deciding what the village actually wants, in terms of shape and size of rink, as well as getting the ground suitable for it. Then there is determining a place to store it in the off season, and who is responsible for and how does the snow get removed from the rink. “They need to look at other temporary skating rinks,” Parks Commission chair Anne deConingh said at last week’s meeting, including what problems they may encounter. In the past in Chagrin, when there was a skating rink in the park, there was the need to clean snow off the rink, a task often falling on residents, she continued. “Cleaning up the snow was a real challenge,” Ms. deConingh said. In the last few years the village had a real ice rink, used until the early 2000s when it was taken out following several warm winters and reduced interest, kids would go across it and make ruts, Ms. deConingh described. “It was fraught with problems,” she said. One of the parts the village is looking at is upkeep and maintenance, Chief Administrative Officer Rob Jamieson continued. They also want to make sure it is something that will be used. Parks Commission member Tod White noted that the village’s service department does not have time to maintain a rink. Council President Angie DeBernardo, who originally brought up the matter to council, said last week that officials are at the very beginning of this whole process. “The whole point of having the motion at council was to make sure that council was interested in investigating this as an option,” she explained, the matter turned over to the committee level to continue delving further. Ms. DeBernardo said she wanted to pursue the idea because she does not hear negative things about it. “That doesn’t mean I won’t hear negative things in the future,” she said, but no one on council or the administration and public says “this is a terrible idea.” “That is rare these days,” she said of not hearing negative feedback. Ms. DeBernardo said the last time a rink was looked into was in 2016, and it was determined that a synthetic ice rink could be used and stored in the off season. The feasibility study for a rink, which may be funded by a private donation, grant or other sources, is subject to Village Council’s acceptance under their new donation policy. Plans are for officials to define a scope and approach before making a recommendation to Village Council possibly by February. Ms. DeBernardo said she sees it as a positive for the village, although it has not been thoroughly analyzed yet. She said the downtown area struggles with fewer visitors during the middle of winter, January through March, and in that “unique season,” a rink may liven things up and bring people to town. “We are all looking for ways to get outside and stay active in winter,” she said. “Having a cute little downtown rink would be a wonderful addition.” The rink would most likely have to be lit at night, which is part of the discussion moving forward, Ms. DeBernardo said. “The devil is in the details.”