A Madison Parks Department official outlined the details Tuesday of a new initiative aimed at getting more community involvement in maintaining the city’s ice rinks.
In lieu of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s original proposal to cut funding for local ice skating rinks, the city and the parks department have founded the Adopt Ice Partnership initiative, aimed at getting groups of neighborhood volunteers directly involved in maintaining the rinks.
At the meeting, Steven Doniger, the community services manager for the parks department, emphasized the Adopt Ice Partnership stemmed from an outcry of community members interested in doing something to improve the quality of their local ice rinks.
“All of us are concerned about the quality of ice and the lack of attention for it,” Doniger said. “It’s a rising tide effect. We need help. We need a team of folks dedicated to coming and filling the gap between when the snow comes out and when the machines get rid of it.”
The Adopt Ice Partnership, according to Cieslewicz spokesperson Rachel Strauch-Nelson, would not alter any amount of funding currently going toward the rinks.
“We’re not cutting any support, just simply encouraging neighborhoods to get more involved in improving the quality of their ice,” Strauch-Nelson said.
Cieslewicz’s initial proposal, which was met with criticism from City Council and residents, involved cutting city maintenence funding for certain rinks to help cut water and upkeep fees. Only lesser-used rinks, such as those at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Goodman Community Center, Garner Park, Westmorland Park and Warner Park, would have funding cut.
According to Strauch-Nelson, the mayor’s plan could have saved the city $38,000. Any budget cuts that would have closed the ice rinks, however, have since been restored by City Council.
The Adopt Ice Partnership, according to Strauch-Nelson, also has potential for smaller savings.
According to Doniger, the city’s savings would mainly come in the form of employee overtime, which is used to clear snow from the rinks.
Besides interest from the community, Doniger said there are a variety of reasons that necessitated the initiative. Maintaining the rinks, he said, comes second to public safety measures like plowing sidewalks and bike paths.
In addition, rink staffing is traditionally low during the winter when many employees take compensation time. The parks department also works closely with the public works department, promoting public involvement in city projects.
Madison resident Larry Hansen, 53, was present at the meeting and expressed interest in joining one of the neighborhood committees.
“I saw this as a way to help the Goodman skating rink become a good one for local kids,” Hansen said. “It’s a way to take ownership of the community. I was so angry about the mayor closing the rinks. When I saw this, I thought it was a great solution to solve a big problem. It’s a government solution to a government problem.”
Strauch-Nelson said the mayor’s goals in establishing the Adopt Ice Partnership were to provide neighborhoods with better quality ice and strengthen local communities and neighborhoods in the process.
