After a successful couple of months, Parks and Recreation staff have closed the Gord Brown Memorial Canada 150 Outdoor Rink (GBM) for the season as weather temperatures continue to rise. The last day of use was on March 17th, 2022. The season started with the rink opening on January 22, 2022.
“Overall our first season of activity was extremely rewarding, with strong community usage and positive feedback from the participants who enjoyed the opportunity to skate on the ice. Our Parks and Recreation staff, led by Robert Kennedy, Superintendent of Parks and Facilities did an outstanding job learning to run the new refrigeration plant and maintaining the ice to the best of their abilities. When the conditions were right, the ice after a fresh Zamboni flood was outstanding to skate on. The new TIAP (Thousand Islands Accommodations Partners) signage installed on the rink looked fantastic and gave the rink a professional look that Gord Brown would be proud of! The staff learned quickly, maintaining outdoor ice is much different then indoor ice, which requires a tremendous amount of troubleshooting to find solutions to the challenges of fluctuating weather conditions. The main challenge our staff faced was the frequent stretches of warm temperatures, this made it impossible for the plant to overpower the warm sun, which caused soft, watery ice that was unsafe for use. This was something that forced us to close the rink numerous times over the past several months.” Said Doug Wark, Manager of Community Services.
Despite the challenges, the rink has been a wonderful addition to our recreational amenities. The staff will begin transitioning the rink to open for summer use, which will offer additional programing opportunities for our community to enjoy.
“Thank you to everyone for your patience allowing us to open the rink and troubleshoot solutions to keep it open for as many days as possible this winter.” Stated, Wark.
The Gord Brown Memorial Canada 150 Outdoor Rink was originally built on Parliament Hill as part of the Canada 150 celebrations. This year-round outdoor recreational/event facility will be used by local residents and visitors to increase access to recreation in the greater community.
