The Kamloops Outdoor Skating Association is pleased to see plans for a new refrigerated rink at Riverside Park move ahead after a number of setbacks.

Association board member James Gordon says he believes the new facility – which could be open by December of next year – will be well used by residents and visitors to Kamloops.

“Riverside Park is a gem of Kamloops and currently during the winter time, it does not get a lot of action, certainly at night,” Gordon said.

“We think a beautiful skating rink with lights and some music and some concession will just bring people down and I think it’ll really be a feather in the cap for Kamloops as whole.”

Gordon says the Outdoor Skating Association won’t have a role in operating the rink, though he told Radio NL they’re keen to participate in the design of it, if their opinion is sought by the City.

“We just think it’d be a great asset for the city,” Gordon added. “We were delighted when the funding announcement was made, but the details, we haven’t been asked. We’re keen to participate, if our opinion is sought, but we’re not going to be involved in the operation in any formal way.”

City staff say the $5.4-million project will be grant funded, with year-round maintenance expected to be around $130,000. It will be built on an existing asphalt pad near the Riverside Park pier where food trucks are located in the summer.

“We think its going to be one of those community building facilities that we have no doubt a lot of folks within Kamloops and further a-field are going to enjoy,” Gordon said.

KMHA struggling to accommodate hockey players

The Kamloops Minor Hockey Association says while they aren’t against the outdoor rink, they continue to deal with a shortage of indoor ice rinks in the city.

“A prime example is we have our U18 group which is 15, 16, and 17 year old players, and they’re on the ice till 10:15 or 10:30 at night,” KMHA Executive Director, Zac Carnelley said on NL Newsday. “To me that is just unacceptable.”

“Those kids don’t even get the opportunity to practice, they get one game a week. That’s just how short the ice is right now.”

Carnelley says KMHA will be patient as new ice rinks have have been identified as a priority in the Build Kamloops program. But he also says there has been a need for new ice going back several decades.

“We haven’t had a new arena in Kamloops since Olympic was added to McArthur Island in 2007,” he said. “Before that you’re looking at at the time it was Riverside Coliseum, so we’re looking at we’ve added one arena since 1992.”

According to the City’s Recreation Master Plan, capacity at indoor ice rinks exceeded 90 per cent between September and March, while prime time use exceeded 120 per cent.

“To bring ‘prime time’ utilization of available capacity under 95 per cent, at least one incremental sheet of ice will be required,” the plan said. “To bring ‘prime time’ utilization of available capacity to approximately 85 per cent, at least two incremental sheets of ice will be required.”

Former Kamloops Blazer, and two time Stanley Cup winner, Darryl Sydor who is working as head of player development for KHMA told council that the lack of ice time is causing some young hockey players and their families to leave town.

“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.”

At that Tuesday meeting, councillor Kelly Hall said he understood the concerns from KMHA, but said the City has not forgotten about indoor rinks.

“I hear someone like Mr. Sydor, I hear the passion that he has for youth hockey and the need for ice and its coming,” Hall said. “It’s coming in the form of Build Kamloops.”

But Councillor Bill Sarai said he wasn’t a fan of the outdoor rink “jumping” ahead of the queue when the need for indoor ice has been known for years.

“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,” Sarai said. “I get the Build Kamloops, but again this is coming before them.”

Carnelley told Radio NL that KMHA does not want to take away from all of the work that has got into getting an outdoor rink built in Kamloops. But like Sydor, he felt that the $5.4 million could have been put to better use like a mini rink for some younger hockey players.

“We support all activities but if you put an arena or an outdoor rink like that at McArthur Island, where you already have the facilities – dressing rooms, Zambonis -where potentially you could use it for hockey and CanSkate or other activities as well, to me, that makes a little bit more sense,” Carnelley said.

“The biggest challenge for us is we just don’t have enough ice to provide all of the players exactly what they need.”

Construction on the outdoor rink at Riverside Park is expected to begin next summer.

– With files from Jon Keen