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<br />, <br /> <br />Arden Hills General Account <br /> <br />. From: <br />Sent: <br />To: <br />Subject: <br /> <br />Holmes, Fran (US - Minneapolis) [fholmes@dttus.com] <br />Monday, August 21, 2000 2:51 PM <br />Arden Hills (E-mail) <br />To: Tom Moore FW: Valentine Park Skating Rink <br /> <br />-----Original Message---- <br />From: john holienhorst [mailto:johnjanet@worldnet.att.net] <br />Sent: Sunday, August 20, 20002:16 PM <br />To: Fholmes <br />Cc: JOHN A HOLLEN HORST <br />Subject: Valentine Park Skating Rink <br /> <br />To whom it may concern <br /> <br />I was sorry to learn a "preliminary decision" has been made to abandon the skating rink at Valentine <br />Park. <br /> <br />Two reasons seem to have led to this decision: Under use in recent years and maintenance <br />difficulties due to the slope of the landscape. <br /> <br />. 1.Underusage. Mild winter weather t.he past two years and especially the last skating season didn't <br />provide enough cold to sustain good ice. My memory is that the rink opened about 15 years ago and <br />was so popular the city council authorized the building of the warming house. <br /> <br />2. Maintenance Difficulties. Virtually all recreation sites present maintenance difficulties of one sort or <br />another. These are costs Arden Hills residents have always been willing to pay to maintain the <br />livability of our community with its parks and trails. <br /> <br />We have lived within a few blocks of Valentine Park for almost 37 years and have seen how popular <br />it has been, not only in summer but also in the winter for the skaters. We are retired senior citizens <br />now and do not skate in the park. However, new families with young children are again moving into <br />the neighborhood. I believe we'll see an upswing in the use of the rink. It is a safe and accessible <br />winter destination for children and families within a few blocks of home. We want them to have it. <br /> <br />We sincerely hope there will be a re-thinking of this" preliminary decision" based on conversations <br />between Parks & Recreation Director Tom Moore and the residents. <br /> <br />Perhaps instead of closing the rink, the Parks & Recreation Department could enhance its value by <br />offering learn-to-skate lessons to young children and additional recreational skating programs to <br />other age groups. This might be a topic for discussion. <br /> <br />Janet Hollenhorst <br /> <br />e 1822 Venus Avenue <br /> <br />(651-633-1822) <br /> <br />1 <br />