Pittsfield Council Accepts $200K for Outdoor Ice Rink
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Public, outdoor ice skating will return to the city this winter.
On Tuesday, the City Council accepted a total of $200,000 from five local organizations for a portable ice rink system at Clapp Park. The $250,000 project reimagines ice skating memories at The Common in the age of global warming.
Officials hope to have it operational by the holiday season.
"The whole idea behind the project is that climate change has really made it very difficult for us to establish and maintain an ice sheet in the traditional way, like we've done for many, many years at The Common. Those days are over," Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath explained.
"What we've landed on is this idea of a temporary ice rink that can be brought in, and it's powered by chillers. It's essentially a refrigerated system that will help maintain consistent ice throughout a number of months. It's a very expensive system. It's on the order of $200,000."
Alex Regen, co-director of the effort, brought the idea to Mayor Peter Marchetti shortly after he was elected and agreed to seek outside funding for the 50-by-100-foot rink.
There will be other costs associated with site preparation and installation, and the city will make up the $50,000 balance, "but we are ready to go and hope to have this system up and running before the holiday season this year," McGrath said..
Donors include:
- The Feigenbaum Foundation: $125,000,
- The Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick Trust: $50,000
- Milltown Foundation: $10,000
- Berkshire Bank Foundation: $10,000
- Pittsfield Cooperative Bank: $5,000
In grant letters, donors praised the idea of a fun wintertime activity
"We believe this initiative will bring meaningful community benefit by creating a welcoming, active space that promotes health, connection, and vibrancy during the winter months," Program Director Andy Wrba wrote on behalf of Mill Town Foundation.
Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey praised McGrath and Regen's work, saying, "obviously, this is awesome," and an idea that is hard not to support.
"I look forward to one skating and then hopefully expanding more winter projects at the park too. I mean, think about it, you can go sledding, you can go skating. We can do a winter carnival," he said.
"A lot of ideas."
Tags: ice skating, public parks,
