Havelock community comes together to build outdoor rink

There’s something cool happening in Havelock. The village is coming together to build an outdoor rink at the ball diamond by the community centre.

“This came from a dream. A memory of skating on my childhood rink at our homestead,” said Dave Sharpe, a Havelock resident and member of a community committee called HBM Proud, which spearheaded the rink.

The rink, which is going up on the infield at the ball diamond, will be 45 feet by 80 feet in size. The property is owned by the municipality.

READ MORE: First fully-accessible outdoor rink in the province opens in Winnipeg

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“It worked with us. The space is here and it was available,” said Jim Martin, mayor of the Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen. “When you get a group like this that’s energized, you want to work with them.”

“The committee submitted the proposal to council. Council was supportive. We moved forward and fundraised. We’ve worked with a number of local businesses on the project,” added Sharpe.

Like all backyard and outdoor rinks, it’s completely dependent on weather.

The fire department will supply the water for the rink at no cost.

All of the materials to build it was bought locally.

“It just shows you what a little community can do, when we work together,” added Sharpe.

In the spring, the rink will be removed, board by board, and stored at Sharpe’s farm. The hope is to have this rink at the ball diamond every winter.

“I’m really hoping it will be,” said Sharpe. “I think with the help of council and staff, we can make it happen.”

“It’s as community as you can get,” added Martin.