GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – One beneficiary of the cold snap we’re going through are the public ice rinks in several Green Bay Parks. Crews are working to get them ready to open.
“There’s nothing like good fresh outdoor ice to get your blood pumping. It kind of feels like when you come down to Colburn here — where we’re at today — it almost feels like you’re up north somewhere,” said James Andersen, Green Bay Parks, Recreation and Forestry Deputy Director.
That “Up North” feeling was all around as single-digit temperatures set the stage Monday morning for making the frozen foundation for some skating.
“Cold weather, nice, ice cold weather, like we have today and this week, and then also patience. These guys, they go back and forth, and they do really thin layers of ice. Back and forth, throughout the morning, throughout the day. As long as these temperatures stay cool,” said Andersen.
Andersen says workers will maintain five rinks around the city.
“We’re going to concentrate on Colburn here. We’re going to concentrate on Beaver Dam, Edison, Red Smith and Astor Park.”
The deep freeze stretches throughout parts of the area, but De Pere parks leaders say winter didn’t start out that way.
“So far, we haven’t had any season for for making ice. Just started really last week. We started in earnest, just getting a little bit of a head start on this week, in hopes that the cold weather would come in so we could make some ice,” said Don Melichar, De Pere Parks Superintendent and City Forester.
Melichar says the department maintains outdoor rinks at Legion Park and VFW Park in De Pere,
“This one won’t be ready, maybe by the end of the week. It takes a number of days to build it up.”
The Village of Pulaski is having issues with skaters trying to get on the ice before it’s ready. The village’s Department of Public Works posted Monday, saying that it’s experienced “a major setback.”
Skating on ice before it’s ready can create frozen ridges in the ice; the only way to remove these ridges is by flooding the rink, according to the village.
Back in Green Bay, Anderson says patience will pay off.
“Give us three to four days, and by this weekend, you’ll be playing hockey and doing triple Salchows on the ice skating rinks here.”
The ice skating season won’t last too long.
Park leaders say once February arrives, the sun and longer daylight hours will make it hard to maintain the rinks.
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