News about Lake Alice ice rink is troubling

Published 12:00pm Tuesday, January 15, 2008
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Some recent information which appeared in this newspaper regarding the Lake Alice skating rink has left me troubled.

I attempt to stay an informed citizen of Fergus Falls, and involved on city issues that have great importance to me. I need the city to provide accurate information in return. However when I read that the city has saved its tax payers $5,000 in heating costs by having never opened the Lake Alice skating rink warming house this winter I felt quite upset.

I suspect most people who think about this a little bit will realize the absurdity of it. Surely it does not cost that much to heat a warming house. Besides, the city has continued to heat it all winter anyway (still running as of 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12).

The city has also indicated that the rink did not open due to thin ice. It is true that the late fall season brought poor ice and problem slush, and may have made early opening a challenge. The last time I checked however there were 18 inches of good ice, and there were at least 12 inches at Christmas time. I do think it is too late in the season to open at this point.

The Lake Alice rink has been a very charming, quite popular place for members of our community and visitors for as long as I can recall.

The warming house and facilities have been paid for by the citizens of the community, let’s not abandon this too.

We have lost so many park facilities for the independent recreational user. The little recreational rink near Cleveland school just doesn’t come close to the beautiful environment at Lake Alice: and the Cleveland rinks and warming house will be gone next year as well.

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