Bingham rink has best season in years!
By Dave Bowen
As of this writing, winter has eased its grip and the flowers and birds of spring have finally started to return. It was a long, cold winter but the bright side is that the Bingham Park rink had the best skating season in recent years.
The snow arrived early so work to prepare the ice got under way in mid-December, weeks before the start date of the last couple of years. Unlike last year when the rink only opened for skating on January 16, the latest opening anyone could recall, this year eager skaters were able to get on the ice by Christmas day. There are always unexpected setbacks, and this year it was a furnace breakdown during the cold snap just before Christmas, but the dedicated city staff had it fixed and running again before there was any damage to the water pipes in the shack.
Like the canal, the rink benefited from few above zero temperatures and lots of cold nights. This meant it was open almost continuously right up to the end of February, with just a few snow days keeping it closed. It also allowed plenty of flooding so the ice conditions were very good throughout the season, with almost 60 days of skating.
After the renovations to the park last summer, there were some big changes to the location of some of the park’s amenities but the rink remained in essentially the same place. The new tennis court is now in the corner previously occupied by the baseball diamond and new paths, benches, and trees changed the overall look of the park. Without the overlap with the ball diamond the humps created by the pitcher’s mound and infield boundary meant making a smooth ice surface was far easier this year. Skaters didn’t have to worry about tripping over the first baseline well in January as in previous years. The last of the new lighting was finally installed in mid-January, allowing for safe skating after dark. The biggest change for the rink operation was the installation of a bunker which allowed for the storage of the snowblower on site.
It has to be mentioned that the rink is only available and maintained due to the dedicated efforts of a small group of volunteers. The Lowertown Community Association receives a grant from the city to run the rink but the actual work involved is delegated to the Operator, Measar Musa, who has taken on the task for the past three years. Measar liaises with the city, recruits the attendants who are on duty during open hours, and shepherds the labour of the neighbours who turn out to make and maintain the ice. These are the unsung heroes who show up as soon as the snow stops after the latest dump to get the ice cleared as quickly as possible. You might see them out early in the morning or late at night holding the hose to get another fresh flood on. We all owe them our thanks, so kudos to the rink rats and all the others who showed up to help.
