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LEHMAN — Winter might be nearing an end, but it’s still cold enough to ice skate.
Luckily, there’s an ice skating rink on Milauskas Way on the campus of the Lake-Lehman School District.
Superintendent Jim McGovern said the idea for the ice rink came more from members of the community.
“I know we have several students who participate in ice hockey programs through Back Mountain and other independent leagues,” said McGovern. “Just listening to parents talk at various events, they would always talk about there not being a lot of outdoor activities. We wanted to do something in (Knight of) Mayhem to give back to the community something everyone could use. Our fields during the summer and fall are used almost 24/7, but we had nothing to offer except for gymnasiums. We thought if we put in this ice skating rink, it would be a nice place for people to bring their families.”
Knight of Mayhem is the Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School’s annual outdoor event that features games, hay rides and other various activities to help raise money for school funding.
McGovern said between $8,000 and $10,000 from the 2013 Knight of Mayhem was used to fund the ice rink, which was setup that following winter in 2014.
“We bought a prepackaged ice rink online and our maintenance crew was responsible for the physical creating of the ice rink,” said McGovern. “They literally put it up, filled it with water and we were ready to go.”
According to McGovern, the rink is set up when the weather begins showing consistent freezing temperatures and it takes around 27,000 gallons of water, which come from the school’s well, to fill the ice rink to the point where the water can be frozen. The rink is taken down when the weather shows consistent warmer temperatures.
McGovern also said the barriers for the ice rink are stored in a warehouse on school grounds.
The biggest surprise, though, is who takes care of the ice rink the most when it is up.
“The people who maintain it the most are the people who use it,” said McGovern. “They brush the ice or shovel the snow off or things to that nature. They do a fantastic job.”
As far as other equipment for the ice rink goes, McGovern said community members bring their own.
“This is a community piece,” said McGovern. “They supply their own equipment. I’ve seen people in pickup trucks bring their own (hockey) goals, they literally are very creative with how they use it. Very little is facilitated by the school district.
McGovern often drives by the ice rink before and after school hours and sees students and other community members enjoying it.
Although the rink has been operational for the past two years, McGovern hopes to be able to make additions to the area.
“We want to take a look at maybe putting a shelter there or something like perhaps a fire pit where people can enjoy themselves,” said McGovern. “If we could have anything else, just to upgrade it, it would be nice.”
The ice rink is open 24/7, although McGovern would advise those wishing to use it after to dark to be as careful as possible, as there are no lights.
He hopes lights will be another future addition to the ice rink, as well.