Outdoor Rink (City of Grande Prairie Facebook)

By Liam Verster

Skating Rinks

City offering assistance in building neighbourhood skating rinks

Oct 28, 2019 | 7:00 AM

Neighbourhood Park Skating Rinks will be appearing once again in Grande Prairie this winter.

The City is accepting applications from residents who want their neighbourhood park transformed into an outdoor skating rink.

Barb Welander with the City’s Park Operations, says once they get the application, the city will assess the park, make sure the pipes and water system works, then deliver equipment to the residents.

“We deliver all the equipment, so boards, pins, joiners, hose, key, everything like that. Then the neighbourhood people are responsible for maintaining the outdoor rink.”

She says the city will do periodic checks, to make sure the rinks are safe and that the water system is working, but maintaining the rink and shoveling snow off the ice will be left up to the neighbourhood.

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

Welander adds that the rinks are designed for recreational use, and hockey shouldn’t be played on them.

“With these rinks, we recommend they’re just a skating rink, because there’s nothing there to stop pucks. So, you get your teenage son or daughter doing a slap shot and there’s nothing there to stop the pucks. So, they go out into the park and the deep snow, then they’re looking for their pucks and stuff. So they’re just highly recommended for skating only.”

She says there are five designated outdoor hockey rinks across the city:

• Crystal Park School
• Hillside School
• Swanavon School
• Alexander Forbes School
• Montrose School

They are all free to use, and Welander asks the public to play hockey there, rather than at the neighbourhood parks.

Over 80 parks in Grande Prairie are able to house the rinks, and Welander says five neighbours need to sign on to the application. The applications can be found at the Neighbourhood Rink Program page of the City of Grande Prairie’s website.

The applications are due by December 15 at the latest.