Kinsmen Park is up, running and ready to go.
Despite what mayor Jamie McGarvey mentioned in Tuesday’s council meeting, the delay in the park opening was not a result of vandalism.
April McNamara, manager of parks and recreation says that the delay was because of fluctuating winter temperatures.
“Mother nature drives the bus of outdoor rinks in the Parry Sound area. Temperatures need to be at least -10 for a number of days for the pads to cool so we can start the process. It’s been a very up and down year and when you don’t have cooling systems in place, we rely on nature to keep things nice and cool for us,” she said
“The was no vandalism that prevented staff from doing their job in opening the park in due time,” she added.
Kinsmen Park is a monitored park and there are security cameras in place.
“There has been vandalism there before and we hope that the public doesn’t do that because if things like our outdoor rink are vandalised, there are no recreational opportunities offered if they are wrecked,” McNamara said. “One would hope someone goes out there to pleasure skate, have a good play or toboggan and not wreck fun for everybody else.”
In Tuesday’s meeting, McGarvey noted that the park would not be able to function without the volunteers who contribute their personal time so that the town can have recreational facilities. Councillor Paul Borneman was said to be a regular volunteer in the preparation of Kinsmen Park.
Although the town may see rising temperatures later this week, McNamara says she has her fingers crossed that the ice buildup will not be heavily affected by a thaw.
If the weather cooperates, Kinsmen Park could be open until the end of March.