City of Weyburn takes precaution, closes outdoor rink

The warmer temperatures expected in Weyburn over the course of the next week are being welcomed by many, but it is still putting a wrinkle into the plans of some as a number of winter recreation activities are impacted.  

The City of Weyburn made an announcement Monday morning about one of the more popular attractions in the city.  

“With the warmer temperatures coming up this week, we are going to be temporarily closing the Jubilee Park outdoor rink starting today, Monday, January 29th, until further notice,” explained Paige Tenbult, the City of Weyburn’s Communications Co-ordinator. 

The free-to-use Crokicurl rink located at the Weyburn Leisure Center is also out of commission for the time being, at least until temperatures drop to seasonal norms and the ice can be managed properly again.

The Crokicurl rink at the Leisure Centre has suffered from recent melting temperatures.

“It’s just a precautionary measure,” she added. “It’s to maintain the quality of the ice surface, and hopefully we can continue to maintain that throughout the week to get the rink back up for users as soon as possible.” 

The news came after some other ice issues popped up at Crescent Point Place Sunday afternoon.  

During the U18 AAA Richardson Pioneer Gold Wings game, an issue with the ice forced the game to move to the Tom Zandee Sports Arena partway through the third period. Staff from the city worked to patch the hole in the ice and to build the ice back up so it would be satisfactory for games that evening. The ice surface would be re-opened in time for a game at 7:15 p.m. 

“When we experience ice issues like this, our staff are required to conduct repairs of the surface so that our facility is safe to all our patrons,” a written statement from the city concerning Crescent Point Place read. “Depending on the situation this may include slushing, heavy floods, cold or warm floods, edging work, etc. Maintaining arena ice is a bit of an art form in itself, so staff need to use their knowledge, experience and creativity to address situations as they arise.” 

The statement also acknowledged that while preventative maintenance is undertaken regularly, the ice may get thin during periods of heavy usage and increased strain over a busy weekend.