All Southington needs is three consecutive days of cold weather and residents will be able to skate on their very own temporary ice skating rink conveniently located at Veterans Memorial Park.
The rink is the result of hard work by resident and Water Board Commissioner, Michael Domian and Town Council member Dawn Miceli and they are eagerly looking forward to seeing it filled with skaters enjoying themselves, at no cost to local taxpayers.
"This is all being done without taxpayer dollars," said Miceli. "Not even the Parks and Recreation Department will be asked to come and clean it off if it snows."
The 72x133-foot rink has been laid out alongside Woodruff Street, directly under emergency lighting which is lit each night. The square, white, plastic structure, purchased from a ice skating rink company named Nice Rink, took about 2 months to reach it's final destination and is reusable each winter season.
As reported by , Domian and Miceli received permission from the Board of Finance on Dec. 13, to go ahead and make the purchase, which is to be fully reimbursed to the town thanks to the generous donations of community businesses and donors.
Miceli said that the town has been very supportive of the rink from the get-go. "We have gotten a lot of community support," said Miceli, "overhwhelming support in phone calls, emails, texts," she said. Miceli feels that the concept of a townwide ice rink brings out in everyone sentimental feelings and memories of their childhood skating experiences.
So, as of Friday afternoon volunteers assembled the simple structure into which the Southington Fire Department pumped up to 7 inches of water and then begin the wait for freezing temperatures to do the trick.
Domian and Miceli would like to say a special thank you to the many donors who made the rink possible: ESPN, The Calvanese Foundation, Billy Carlson Heating and Air Conditioning, PTE Energy, Ray Gorham and family and other anonymous donors.
