Photo: City of Grande Prairie / Facebook

By Shaun Penner

Outdoor Skating

Skating pond at Muskoseepi Park officially open for the season

Dec 6, 2020 | 7:00 AM

The skating pond just outside the pavilion at Muskoseepi Park is officially open for the winter season.

With COVID-19 restrictions in effect, Transportation and Parks Manager for the City Robert Carroll says directives they have received from the province mean anyone can use the pond when they wish, as long as they stick to their immediate family/group they are attending with.

Outdoor social gatherings, as per provincial restrictions established on November 24, can be no larger than 10 people.

“Individuals or households who independently go skating at rinks and ponds are not considered to be a part of a social gathering,” said Carroll. “However, if a group of people attends a rink or pond together to skate, it’s a social gathering.

“Therefore, groups of people coming to skate together cannot be more than 10 people.”

He adds six feet of distance must be kept from others who are not a part of your household/group when out on the pond.

This is the first and only skating surface officially ready for use as of this weekend. Carroll says once temperatures get consistently back down below freezing, they can soon after begin getting other rinks ready for use.

Carroll says this will also help alleviate some of the strain put on the Muskoseepi pond to allow skaters other venues, so people will not be crowding.

“Once we get up and running, between the City and the rinks that are put together by neighbourhood associations, we probably have up to 40 ice surfaces around town.”

Carroll also reminds residents to stay off of stormwater drainage ponds and not use them for skating or otherwise, as they are unsafe to use.

“It’s called a pond, but it’s more of an area where water is stored after a storm,” said Carroll. “It (the water level) constantly fluctuates too, so you don’t have a consistent level of water. Therefore, if ice does form on top of it, there is a really good chance there is a void under the ice.”

“Considering the mild weather we’ve had, it’s even more important that people stay off these ponds. But even when it’s cold, we don’t encourage people to use them for recreational purposes.”