New outdoor skating rink in Coaldale opens to public

COALDALE – The community of Coaldale has an outdoor skating rink again.

Up until now residents have had to get creative if they wanted to skate outside, using  the frozen water hazards on Land-O-Lakes golf course or the Birds of Prey wetlands.

“It’s one of those things that growing up, I took for granted,” said John Wegenast, a Coaldale resident and rink volunteer. “Everyone played outside, whether it was a pond or an outdoor rink and you don’t see as many of them anymore.”

Earlier this year the Kinsman Club of Coaldale fundraised for a playground in Kinship Park in Coaldale’s Cottonwood neighbourhood.  The group was so successful that they surpassed their fundraising goal and decided to put the extra money toward a rink that could double as a basketball court in the warm weather. The 50 by 90 foot concrete rink/court cost approximately $150,000.

“It’s gone over very well. It’s busy every night,” said Jack Van Rijn, project co-chair with the Kinsman Club of Coaldale.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's gone over very well. It's busy every night," said Jack Van Rijn, project co-chair with the Kinsman Club of Coaldale.

“We have the street lights turning off shortly after 9 p.m. If we didn’t do that people would be out here till the wee hours of the morning.”

The ice was flooded with the assistance of the Coaldale volunteer fire department and will be maintained throughout the winter by volunteers in the neighbourhood.

The rink is located on Cottonwood Drive in Coaldale.