No hockey on this ice, please
By Mark Squibb
Two members of CBS council blew the whistle Tuesday over children playing shinny on the new outdoor ice pad in Long Pond.
Ward 1 Councillor Shelly Moores was the first to call a penalty.
“I know it’s exciting, and people think that because it’s a fresh sheet of ice that they can go play hockey, but just to spread the word, it’s not meant for hockey,” said Moores. “And this isn’t anyone being difficult or anything like that, it’s a safety concern. We want a safe area for our residents to be able to go skate. Be respectful of our rules; there are other places you can play ice hockey. Our community park ice surface is meant for skating only. We don’t want anyone getting injured and we don’t want anyone not feeling comfortable attending because of things that are going on down there that shouldn’t be going on. So, this is just a reminder that’s it’s just for skating, and please, not play hockey.”
Councillor-at-Large Joshua Barrett doubled down on that call later in the meeting.
“Please follow the rules of the rink,” said Barrett. “We really want to emphasize that it’s a great sheet of ice, it’s great for families, for young and old, but it’s not intended for a bit of puck. We are obviously permitting skating aides, there’s lots of folks there with their little red skating aides, but the minute we see a puck on the ice that’s when the trouble starts, and so we really want folks to be cognizant of that. We are being very intentional with our messaging on that.”
Barrett said the Town will double down on the message with signage and social media posts.
He said the park is a great addition to the community,
“Myself, personally, I’ve been to the community park several times so far this winter and it’s a really great asset to our community, and I want to thank everybody who was involved in making that a reality,” said Barrett. “Certainly, the work started before our term, and I feel very fortunate that we have this asset in our community.”
He added the rink is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Ice maintenance is completed between 2 and 3 p.m.