WESTLOCK – After years of talk and safety testing, a week of colder temperatures allowed the long-anticipated Whissellville Pond skating rink to open in time for the Family Day long weekend.
At the Feb. 13 Town of Westlock council meeting, community services director Gerry Murphy said that “barring any unexpected events, we’re expecting it be open this weekend” as they had done some flooding that day on the northern side of the pond in anticipation. Although Murphy had teased the possibility of two rinks on site, he said they’ll start with one similar in size to the Eastglen Outdoor Skating Rink, minus the boards, and then add a second. In a past interview, Murphy said it was their intent to create a “Norman Rockwell painting out there” as it’s “a beautiful park” and they wanted to create “something special for the residents of Westlock.”
“Once we get the first one in a condition where it won’t break anyone’s ankles and is a good skating surface, then we’ll move to work on a skating track,” he said Feb. 13. “We’re pretty excited … this is the third winter we’ve been assessing and trying to get it going.”
Murphy said they’ll initially provide benches and picnic tables for skaters to lace up at and have placed some rig mats to ensure “the transition from the park area down to the pond is as safe as it can be.” Although they won’t be providing any nets initially, sticks and pucks will be allowed on the most-northern rink, while the other, once done, will be just for skating.
“This will be a progressive project that’ll tweak as we go,” said Murphy.
“And undoubtedly we’ll get feedback from people on what they expect at the site,” added mayor Ralph Leriger.
Although the temperatures have been unseasonably warm of late, Murphy confirmed Feb. 13 the ice thickness ranges from 12 to 18 inches, which is more than enough to safely accommodate skaters and the staff who’ll maintain it. Murphy said previously they’ve been measuring the thickness of the ice at the pond for the last three years, as well as the water level, and they’ve also drilled holes to keep an eye on the pressure from below “which seems to be constant and has been for the last couple of years.”
He said they selected the north side as it has good “upflow” and allows them to stay away from the southern end where the water flows in and out of the pond. He also said the upward pressure is so good that when they flood the rink, all they need to do is drill a hole and the water “flow(s) uniformly and create(s) a pristine surface.”
Previously in January 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 indoor gathering restrictions, the town opened an additional outdoor rink just north of the Rotary Spirit Centre, while another opened on the east side of R.F. Staples School.
