City council to debate future of outdoor skating rink at Charles Clark Square Monday

The skating rink at Charles Clark Square needs $1 million of ‘immediate’ repairs, or it will not reopen this coming winter, according to a report set to go to city council on Monday.

“We do you have some challenges with keeping it working,” Jennifer Knights, executive director of parks and culture told CTV News Tuesday.

This past spring, the city spent $15,000 repairing five leaks discovered during the winter months and they believe there are more still to be fixed.

“Additional leaks are still evident as pressure testing on the floor for a period of one week resulted in a pressure drop from 40 pounds to six pounds,” the report reads.

“In order to effectively get all the repairs done to the point where we're not having to continue to do them year after year, it would mean replacing the perimeter pipe around the current Charles Clark Square as well as the existing pad,” Knights said.

Staff estimate it would cost $1 million to fix the rink surface to allow it to reopen for the 2022-2023 season.

The report includes a second option — decommission the rink at Charles Clark Square and build a new one.

Administrators are recommending the city spend $300,000 on a consultant to design a whole new outdoor skating rink as part of the City Hall Square and Civic Esplanade project.

“You'll see communities that will have a dual purpose,” said Knights. “In the winter it's a rink and in the summer can be a water feature or a fountain or a spray pad or a reflecting pool.”

Knights believes the rink would be moved to the other side of University Avenue and be placed on the lawn in front of City Hall. But she said that would be a decision for the consultant and committee working on the esplanade project.

“I think there's lots of opportunities for us to be creative, and look at making it a year-round or a four-season amenity in the esplanade,” Knights said.

Windsor’s Recreation Master Plan recommends maintaining two outdoor rinks, at Charles Clark and the Lanspeary Park. If council moves forward with decommissioning Charles Clark, the city intends to boost programming options at Lanspeary in the interim.

With two outdoor rinks, Windsor has a “service level” of one outdoor rink per 110,000 population. The provincial average is one outdoor rink per 75,147.

Knights said the city’s climate makes it tricky to keep ice-cold even in the coldest winter months.

The city created Charles Clark Square opened in Oct. 1996 but in recent years the rink surface has required numerous investments:

• 2010 - $150,000 to install perimeter boards
• 2012 - $90,000 in repairs to chiller & upgrades to observation room
• 2013 - $56,000 spent on synthetic ice that did not work
• 2014 - $53,000 repairs to washrooms, plumbing & refrigeration
• 2022 - $15,000 to repair five leaks

Council will debate this idea at Monday’s meeting starting at 4 p.m.