Photo Credit: Belvidere Park District
When I started at the Belvidere Park District in Illinois a little over four years ago, discussions were already in the works to replace a backyard, makeshift ice rink with a permanent facility that could be easily flooded and frozen in the winter for hockey leagues, ice skating lessons, and Broomball leagues. Although Northern Illinois experiences cold winters, there are some warmer days mixed in. The biggest question I had as a recreation programmer and league administrator was about consistency. How could the district run six weeks of lessons and a hockey league without the guarantee that ice would be available on a weekly basis? If the district was going to be successful in consistent programing, it was a must to put chillers under the concrete.
The Details
With the help of a state grant and a recently passed bond, the project went from a conversation to a full-scale capital project with a full-sized, outdoor, NHL-regulation ice rink, a concrete slab with miles of pipes built in to chill the ice, dasher boards, player benches, and a scoreboard. The facility also has a 2,500-square-foot warming house that includes bathrooms, rentals, and the major equipment to operate an ice rink, such as a Zamboni. Prior to this plan, a separate splash pad had also been in the works, and was incorporated into the project.
Roadblocks
Once the funding was secure, the district hit the first icy patch that delayed the project for several weeks—the core samples of the soil came back positive for instability on which to build. After several weeks of additional core samples, we found a suitable place for the project. The second roadblock delayed us for a year as the city needed to approve permits for water retention, compensatory storage, and lighting. If the city would not approve lighting for the facility, the project would not move forward. The final roadblock threatening the project was the loss of a $400,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant because of state funds being frozen. At this point, it was decided to fund the loss with a new bond approved by the board.