After a bizarre winter filled with drastic temperature swings, Airdrie's outdoor rinks are finally up and running for good.

Kevin Brinson, Team Leader for City of Airdrie's Parks Department, said December's warm weather posed problems, but the recent cold snap helped get the ice established.

"We had them established the later part of November, early part of December I believe it was. Then that nice little warm snap hit and we pretty much lost everything, then we got the cold snap, I think it was right before Christmas, and within a week we had them back up and operational."

The City maintains five boarded rinks and four snowbank rinks, which are all being well used now that they are available. Boarded rinks are located at East Lake, Big Springs, Chinook Winds Park, Bayside and a new one at Monklands. Snowbank rinks can be found at the Town & Country Centre, Fletcher Park, Windsong and the Plainsmen Arena. 

Brinson also explained this week's warm weather, with temperatures above zero almost every afternoon, has been both a help and a hindrance.

"First thing in the morning it's great because the temperatures are really good. Once we have established ice it freezes pretty good. Once the afternoon hits, what helps there is it will melt and then it kind of gets a nice, smooth surface for us, but with the amount of people that are on it right now it does eat it up pretty good."

A four person crew maintains the ice daily. Two people are tasked with hand shoveling the edges of the rinks, and then they are flooded by a water truck and Zamboni. Now that the ice is established, Brinson said they should be around until the end of the winter.

"That depends on Mother Nature, she can play cruel jokes on us. If it stays around this temperature - zero and up to minus ten, twelve, stuff like that - we can keep the rinks right on through, depending again if it's cool or not, right up until March sometimes."

Brinson said the end of February is more typically when they start to see the rinks melt away. Once the ice starts pulling away from the boards and grass pokes through, they stop maintaining the rinks for the season.

 

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