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<br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~ <br />~HILLS <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: <br /> <br />AGENDA ITEM 2.H <br /> <br />May 11,2005 <br /> <br />TO: Mayor and Council <br />Michelle Wolfe; City Administrator <br /> <br />FROM: Thomas J. Moore; Director of Operations & Maintenance <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Cummings Park Ice Rink Options <br /> <br />Background <br />In 2003, due to the construction of the new pavilion at Cummings Park, the hockey rink was <br />dismantled and replaced with a pleasure rink. Staff sent out notices to residents in this <br />neighborhood informing them of this decision. In response, staff received negative feedback <br />from two families regarding the loss of the hockey rink. During the skating season, staff <br />received phone calls, emails and letters thanking us for installing the pleasure rink. <br />Unfortunately, due to the construction, staff was unable to provide an attendant at the warming <br />house to monitor attendance. Therefore, staff does not have definitive numbers to support the <br />number of users at the rink. One could assume that the majority of users were pleasure skaters <br />since neither a hockey rink nor portable hockey goals were available. <br /> <br />Prior to 2003, when the hockey rink was available at Cummings Park, attendance was <br />consistently poor. It was not unusual on any given day for the 0 & M staff to skip flooding the <br />rink due to inactivity. In an effort to generate more activity at this rink, staff had moved the <br />Bethel Broomball League games to Cummings Park. This did help the overall numbers, but <br />attendance was still low. <br /> <br />In the fall of 2004, staff held a neighborhood meeting to seek feedback and input on the type of <br />ice rink to install at Cummings Park. The meeting was sparsely attended and support was about <br />equal for either a pleasure rink or hockey rink. Unfortunately, there is not enough room to <br />accommodate two rinks. Staff notified the residents that the pavilion would be opened and that a <br />pleasure rink would be maintained in 2004. Staffreceived phone calls, emails, and letters <br />supporting this decision. General and class attendance picked up significantly. Towards the end <br />of the ice season, with two weeks to go, staff received a request for one portable hockey goal to <br />be stationed at the rink. The goal was delivered and according to the ice attendants, was seldom <br />used. <br />