Kamloops City Council is moving ahead with plans to build a new outdoor skating rink at Riverside Park.

Parks Manager Jeff Putnam told City Council Tuesday that the $5.4-million project will be grant funded, with year-round maintenance expected to be around $130,000.

He said about $40,000 of that would go towards wages for an arena and park attendant while the other $90,000 would be for maintenance and operational costs.

“The purpose of this facility is to introduce new recreational opportunities to the city’s downtown core and to increase the utilization of Riverside Park during the winter months, which I actually just mentioned as the Parks Master Plan, that was one of the recommendations,” Putnam said.

In April of last year, the City’s Committee of the Whole voted 7-0 to earmark money from the province’s Growing Communities Fund for the skating rink.

“I started with the city in 2004 and when I met [Deputy CAO] Byron [McCorkell] for the first time, he had mentioned this outdoor skating park,” Putnam said. “Pretty much 20 years ago we were talking about a rink at McArthur Island at the time.”

“This has been on the books in our imagination for a long time.”

McCorkell told council this new facility – which will only be for drop-in skating and not for organized activities like hockey – could help alleviate some of the pressures around limited ice time in the city’s arenas.

“It should be able to bleed off the public skating needs in a rink because the expectation here is that it’ll be a much more enjoyable experience to be able to skate in a park than it is to go around circles in a rink,” McCorkell said. “But that needs to be tested yet.”

All I can say to council is the number one fastest growing use of our space right now is public skating in a rink,” McCorkell added

“We now limit skates to an hour, and we’ve managed to double our use with the same amount of time, but one of the thoughts about this Riverside Park idea is is becomes a family-friendly skate in the park with no restrictions and no fees.”

Location for rink moved slightly

City staff proposed moving the outdoor rink – which was initially intended to be built around the newly constructed spray park – slightly to the west, in part to avoid having to close the spray park so construction could take place.

They also said the new location, which will primarily occupy the existing asphalt pad near the pier where food trucks are located in the summer, will protect more green space at Riverside Park.

“The alternate location provided better overall value for constructability, impact to park users and community at large,” Putnam said, noting staff would be able to build the rink in the new location without any additional cost.

Putnam also told council that staff were told that the elevation required to properly drain the water park would not be able to accommodate an ice rink.

“We found as we got into detailed design with the splash pad, there are literally hundreds of underwater pipes that are five feet under the ground. It would be too difficult to navigate the brine lines in between the water park piping,” Putnam added.

“The architect also told us that elevation for the splash pad needs to drain inward to keep the water moving and its not effective when you have such an elevation difference to make artificial ice.”

Councillor Margot Middleton asked what the space could be used for when the skating rink is not operational.

“In the winter we’re talking about are we going to have skate rentals, do we have food trucks and concessions and hot chocolate available,” Putnam said.

“For the summer, we see outdoor exercise programs, we see roller blade classes, roller skating opportunities. It is going to be the food truck plaza in that one area anyway, so we see it great for events because its going to keep people off the grass and away from the trees.”

“It will be really busy,” Putnam added.

Construction on the outdoor rink at Riverside Park is expected to begin next summer, with the facility potentially open by December 2025.

Outdoor rink doesn’t replace need for indoor rinks: Hall

Councillor Bill Sarai joined Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson is voting against moving ahead with the outdoor ice rink, saying the city is in dire need of more indoor ice rinks.

“I get we will pull some people out of an ice rink, but will that free up that ice time for hockey? I don’t think so,” Sarai said. “You’re still going to have allotted time for public skating. Like Director McCorkell said, there is a huge want for public skating in a controlled environment.”

“I’m not against the park, I’m just against using this fund to jump ahead of what we’ve been telling all the groups that their turn is coming, and I get the Build Kamloops, but again this is coming before them.”

Councillor Kelly Hall spoke passionately about the proposal, saying he believes it will “take people out of the public skating system” freeing up indoor ice time.

“I go back to when we decide to champion this skating rink and the concept the design, the fact that it was close to being shovel ready, that was a big part of it,” Hall said.

“I believe…that the facility will become the go to. Its free. Its accessible, its a park amenity that everybody in Kamloops will be able to afford to use. Its centrally located, and it makes our park a full season park.”

Hall also said he understood concerns about the lack of indoor ice facilities, but said the City has not forgotten about those plans.

“You’re seeing these [outdoor] rinks pop up in other communities. I took a trip to Kelowna to take a look at [their rink]. It was the middle of the afternoon, it was 2 C and there were 30 to 50 people accessing that facility.”

“I hear someone like [former Kamloops Blazer, and two time Stanley Cup winner, Darryl] Sydor, I hear the passion that he has for youth hockey and the need for ice and its coming. It’s coming in the form of Build Kamloops.”

Sydor who is working as head of player development for the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association told council that the shortage of ice is causing some young hockey players and their families to leave town. He asked the city to consider building a mini rink, saying that would open up about 30 hours of ice per week.

“It is hard and its frustrating since its been over 10 years where we’ve talk about recreation facilities and we all know we need it,” Sydor said. “Build Kamloops and the committee that is formed, that is great. But we’re in a situation where we need a band aid.”

“We’re losing 365 days of trying to keep some families around.”

Councillor Stephen Karpuk said he likened the outdoor skating rink to the one at Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto and the Rideau Canal rink in Ottawa.

“Its developed its own sort-of following and its own expectation, and I see this as one of those possibilities for our community that over time this is one of those cultural things that we can do, which is just recreational skating,” Karpuk said.

“It doesn’t cost you anything, just the time to show up with the equipment you need.”

Citing a changing climate, Karpuk also wondered whether the proposed ice plant would be able to operate if temperatures were above freezing for an extended period of time.

Staff said the plant is expected to able to function up to temperatures of 8 C, but noted they’ll check to see if that could be increased so the ice could be kept frozen in warmer temperatures. 

“If we can make that happen with the existing budget, we will do that,” Civic Operations Director Jen Fretz said. “If not, we’ll come back to council with that information.”