Park Board approves Clat Adams Park ice rink

8 months, 1 week ago by Jamie Busen

The nearly 3,000 square-foot rink will be ready in November

It looks like Quincy will have an ice-skating rink by early November.

The Quincy Park Board during Wednesday night's meeting approved a license agreement with River Skate, Inc. to authorize an artificial ice-skating facility and concessions in Clat Adams Park over the winter months.

River Skate, founded by Chris and Marion Dye of Quincy, will pay the District $100 and will pay for electricity, snow removal and other as-needed expenses. After the initial contract is up, it may be renewed for a three-year period. At that time the fee will be set between 5 percent and 8 percent of gross sales.

The nearly 3,000 square-foot rink will be between Bayview and Memorial Bridges. The grand opening will be 10 a.m. November 10, but the rink opens for business November 7. Admission, which includes skate rental, will be $3 for kids 12 and under and $5 for adults. River Skate will also feature a warming hut and light concessions such as hot chocolate.

Hours of operation will be Wednesday through Friday from 4 to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m., with extended hours during winter break. The rink will also be available for private parties and corporate events. For more info, visit www.riverskateqcy.com

A five-year restrictive covenant between the District and River Skate was also signed preventing the District from entering into an agreement with another party to operate an ice skating facility on District-owned property.

In other action, the Board voted to approve the 2013 Salary Administration Program. District Executive Director Ed Seger recommended that the salaries for full-time, non-union staff be increased by 1.5 percent. The total cap would be $8,500 for all raises. This calculation doesn't include the Director of Parks' salary, which is not expected to be filled in 2013 or the Executive Director's Salary - whose salary is set by the Board. Seger left his park director position earlier this year to take over after Dan Gibble resigned.

Board members also learned pool attendance at Indian Mounds and Wavering were down this season. Indian Mounds saw a decrease from last season of about 3,000 people, while Wavering's number lowered by almost 5,000. It was the lowest number of attendees in at least four years. Overall, the pool attendance number for both combined was 29,401 compared to 37,282 in 2011. The pools were closed seven days, two more than the previous season.

Mike Bruns, director of Program Services for the District, called the numbers "not pretty." He told the Board they would be revamping numerous things, including the marketing plans for the pools. He said they had a lot more competition this season, and said the Kroc Center had a direct effect on their season passes, which were also down.

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