An outdoor recreation favourite is being prepared for another season of winter fun. Recreation Services staff have been hard at work, preparing the Centennial Outdoor Rink to reopen for the 2021/22 season.
This announcement comes a year after the rink had to be closed for repairs, due to severe deterioration of the rink’s chiller system.
This past summer, with the support of Vernon City Council and a $695,000 grant from the BC Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP), two new chillers were purchased and installed for the Centennial Rink and Priest Valley Arena, along with three new energy efficient compressors.
“Not only do the new chillers and compressors allow for us to re-open the Centennial Rink, but they will also improve the safety of the facility and provide significant energy savings for the City,” said Doug Ross, Director, Recreation Services.
Traditionally, the Centennial Outdoor Rink opens on December 1, but because of the unseasonably warm fall we’re experiencing in the North Okanagan, this opening date will be delayed.
“While the outdoor rink is a refrigerated system, its operation is still very much weather dependent,” said Dustin Pridham, Manager, Recreation Operations. “The new chiller takes care of refrigerating the bottom of the ice surface, but Mother Nature takes care of the top of the ice.”
Once the rink can be opened, it will provide opportunities for free public skating and shinny for citizens of all ages, and allow them to spend time being active outside with family and friends.
To learn more about skating in Greater Vernon and to see the updated schedule for the Centennial Outdoor Rink, please visit www.gvrec.ca.
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