New floor for Borden Ave. skating rink
NORWICH – Love it or loathe it, the time for winter recreation is right around the corner and in preparation, the city has exchanged the worn rug in the Borden Avenue ice skating facility with new flooring tiles that will bring a noticeable change to the building’s interior.
Hundreds of local residents take advantage of the skating rink every winter. In the past, skaters have freely moved in and out of the skating rink’s small building after warming up on cold winter days, unintentionally damaging the carpet and dulling the blades of ice skates. Further damage was caused by melting snow and growing mold and mildew underneath the carpet. This led the city to replace carpeting a couple times in the last several years, said Bob Mason, director of the city youth bureau and recreation, and it’s something that will be prevented with the new matting.
The new flooring comes at a low cost to the city. Grant money from the RC Smith Foundation funded $3,500, leaving Norwich to pay the remaining balance of the $4,800 project with money from the city’s reserves. It’s an investment that was well worth the cost, said Planning and Development Specialist Todd Dreyer, because the new flooring also comes with a 20-year guarantee and is expected to last much longer than carpeting, thereby offsetting the additional amount paid by the city.
“The rugs in the building have been replaced twice in the last several years. It just wasn’t made to hold up to ice skates,” said Mason. “This new flooring will just be a lot easier to maintain.”
The new flooring is comprised of interlocking tiles made of a resilient material, explained Mason. It’s designed to tolerate the abuse of ice skates and will not absorb water from melting snow. Additionally, it will protect skate blades from the hard concrete that dulled them so quickly in the past, he said.
“It’s going to save me from a lot of sharpening,” he said.
There was no need for the city to accept bids on the project as it came at such a low cost to the city. Work was contracted out to install flooring that was purchased from Giltner’s in Norwich.
The ice rink saw a total of 2,474 skaters while open in January and February last season. Mason and the City Parks Commission notes the highest rates of skaters on the weekends; however, the actual number of skaters varies year to year, depending on the cooperation of Mother Nature.
The floor is a welcome addition to the facility, said Mason, and skaters will be free to use the facility as soon as there is ice.
Hundreds of local residents take advantage of the skating rink every winter. In the past, skaters have freely moved in and out of the skating rink’s small building after warming up on cold winter days, unintentionally damaging the carpet and dulling the blades of ice skates. Further damage was caused by melting snow and growing mold and mildew underneath the carpet. This led the city to replace carpeting a couple times in the last several years, said Bob Mason, director of the city youth bureau and recreation, and it’s something that will be prevented with the new matting.
The new flooring comes at a low cost to the city. Grant money from the RC Smith Foundation funded $3,500, leaving Norwich to pay the remaining balance of the $4,800 project with money from the city’s reserves. It’s an investment that was well worth the cost, said Planning and Development Specialist Todd Dreyer, because the new flooring also comes with a 20-year guarantee and is expected to last much longer than carpeting, thereby offsetting the additional amount paid by the city.
“The rugs in the building have been replaced twice in the last several years. It just wasn’t made to hold up to ice skates,” said Mason. “This new flooring will just be a lot easier to maintain.”
The new flooring is comprised of interlocking tiles made of a resilient material, explained Mason. It’s designed to tolerate the abuse of ice skates and will not absorb water from melting snow. Additionally, it will protect skate blades from the hard concrete that dulled them so quickly in the past, he said.
“It’s going to save me from a lot of sharpening,” he said.
There was no need for the city to accept bids on the project as it came at such a low cost to the city. Work was contracted out to install flooring that was purchased from Giltner’s in Norwich.
The ice rink saw a total of 2,474 skaters while open in January and February last season. Mason and the City Parks Commission notes the highest rates of skaters on the weekends; however, the actual number of skaters varies year to year, depending on the cooperation of Mother Nature.
The floor is a welcome addition to the facility, said Mason, and skaters will be free to use the facility as soon as there is ice.
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