It鈥檚 been a little more than two months since the ice was installed at the outdoor rink at the Kin Play Park in the Hillside subdivision, and it has proven to be a popular place, not only with those who live in the northeast corner of Estevan, but those who reside elsewhere in the community.
The Estevan Kinsmen and Kinettes were catalysts for the rink, raising money for it and coming up with ideas for amenities. Since the rink was complete, Kin members have volunteered to operate and maintain the site.
Derrick Wilson, who is a member of the Estevan Kinsmen Club, said he has seen people on the ice every day he has been there.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely being used,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淎 couple nights I have been out there, and there have been 25 or 30 kids at night, so that鈥檚 good to see.鈥�
He finds it encouraging when he sees that many children on the ice.
For those who want to improve their hockey skills, and eventually play at a high level, Wilson said an outdoor rink is a great setting to improve.
But it鈥檚 also great for those who want to get out and skate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tougher to get out for public skates, so it鈥檚 nice to be able to have that option there,鈥� said Wilson.
The users have provided a lot of positive feedback. People have been respectful of the facility, and there haven鈥檛 been issues with vandalism or bad behaviour.
The Kin clubs have purchased a Zamboni that will be used to clean the ice surface. It arrived in mid-January, but it needs to be switched from propane to gas before it can be utilized.
鈥淚t can be ran on propane outside, but you鈥檙e just taking a chance of your fuel supply freezing up,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淲e just opted to run it this year by taking care of it manually.鈥�
It is currently being stored away from the park, since there isn鈥檛 a space to store it at the park yet. Wilson said it would have been a lot of work to transport the Zamboni in and out of the park.聽
鈥淣ext year it will be awesome to have that Zamboni, because it will make things a lot easier for taking care of the ice,鈥� said Wilson.
The last couple of months have been a real learning experience for ice maintenance, he said. It鈥檚 tough to take care of ice when it鈥檚 really cold outside, because the ice turns brittle.
鈥淚 think the ice has held up pretty well,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淭here have been a few times where we got some holes here in there, but that鈥檚 to be expected with an outdoor rink.鈥�
A warm-up shack is going to be added to the park. It will have two dressing rooms that can be used throughout the year, as well as two washrooms and storage for the Zamboni and other equipment.
Wilson said a committee has been struck for the park, with representatives of the Kinsmen and Kinettes clubs, and they鈥檙e in the process of obtaining a price to construct the building. They know the dimensions they want, and what they want for the shack.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to put together some numbers, and our corporate fundraising committee is going to get out there and see what they can make happen,鈥� said Wilson.
The goal is to have the building ready by July 1, when the Kin clubs will host their annual Canada Day celebrations at the park.
Once it is finished, the building will be 24 feet wide and 40 feet long, which would be more than double the dimensions of 12 feet in width and 20 feet in length.
鈥淚 think the clubs鈥� big focus is going to be the shack,鈥� said Wilson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty big thing that we鈥檙e going to do, so it鈥檚 taken both clubs and all efforts to make that happen.鈥�
Members of the two clubs have dedicated a lot of time to maintaining the facility, and Wilson said they would like to see people from the community help out with maintenance of the park.
Rod March, the parks manager for the City of Estevan, has been impressed with the operations of the outdoor rink. The local Kin club members have done an 鈥渁wesome鈥� job with their work, he said, just like volunteers do great work in maintaining the other outdoor rinks.
The new outdoor arena has also alleviated some pressure on the other rinks in Westview and at the Rusty Duce Play Park in Pleasantdale.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got moms and tots, and parents and tots, just skating and learning to skate, so it鈥檚 not just hockey,鈥� said March. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of fun skating going on.鈥�
The city provides assistance with the building at the Hillside park, making sure the washrooms are clean, providing timers on the lights so they鈥檙e not on all night, and helping out in other areas where they鈥檙e needed.
Wilson looks forward to seeing more activity at the rink. Once winter is over and the ice is removed, the cement pad will be used for activities such as basketball and roller derby. Basketball hoops will need to be installed.
The Kinsmen club will host its second annual three-on-three ball hockey tournament at the facility, likely in August.
Player benches need to be installed, he said, so that the rink can be used by teams for outdoor ice hockey games next winter. And they hope to paint red lines and blue lines on the ice, and have sponsor logos on the arena boards, adding to the atmosphere of the rink.
