Not to sound like I am bagging on local parks because I can even see the benefits of having public areas that people can gather and perform various activities that they couldn’t do in their own yards….. Softball, Baseball, Football and even Skating/Hockey.

Where my issue comes in is that I don’t like these new refrigerated rinks that they have built. Why am I complaining about them now? Because they are still sitting fully assembled and taking up space when they have only been used roughly a month for their intended purpose. They can be used for roller hockey or rollerblading on the smooth surface but that completely negates the purpose the the giant refrigerating machines that are adjacent to the rink (in the picture they are down and to the left). With all the additional equipment in between adding a Zamboni and an “ice shaver”  to the City’s fleet of vehicles (in addition to man hours to operate them) there seems to be a long term monetary commitment to these rinks. I am guessing the cost to maintain them for 5-10 years is going to vastly overshadow the half a million dollar cost to construct each of them.

In addition to the small costs I incur to fund these rinks, I have about my local refrigerated rink is that it is “checked out” by local schools as “their” hockey rink so it is only available to tax paying adults from 8:00pm till 8:30pm when they turn the lights out. It’s good they are getting used but nearly turned private for most of the winter.

What do you think about Cities taking on large projects like ice rinks/arenas or other endeavors? Does it matter whether their intent is to make money or not? I’d like to hear your thoughts on the subject.