Because of its overwhelming popularity and great attendance, the New Town’s Legacy Hall Skate Rink has announced extended hours for the month of January.
The rink was scheduled to have its last day of the season Jan. 13 after reducing operating hours to weekends after New Year’s Day. Now, James City County Parks and Recreation has decided to keep the rink opened on weekends through Jan. 27.
The skating rink opened in December after a group effort from Parks and Recreation, Ironbound Gym and the New Town Association. Scott Grafton, owner of Ironbound Gym, said the idea to open a rink in New Town had been tossed around for a few years, then last year the “right players” became involved.
The county paid for the synthetic ice panels, the building, skates and everything else needed to operate the rink; the money to fund the rink was approved during the last budget said Jerrod Hurr, James City County park coordinator. The synthetic panels have a lifespan of about 20 years and the rink can be expanded if the location changes without the county having to buy more panels.
New Town Association provided the resources for the rink – it put in power sources, decorations and banner sales. Ironbound Gym supplied a sponsorship package and was given naming rights for the rink, Hurr said.
In the summer, Hurr oversees the operation of the county’s outdoor pools and he pulled staff from the summer pools who had experience operating a cash register to work at the skating rink and hired a few new staff members.
Hurr said the county knew going into the rink project it would take about three years to recoup the capital costs for installation, but the county is “above what our estimates were for our revenue for this year [and] we’ve had higher than expected visits at the rink.” Hurr estimates approximately 4,932 skaters have visited the rink. It costs $7 to skate, or $5 for those who bring their own skates.
Once the proceeds from the rink exceed the cost, the surplus funds will be deposited into the county’s general fund.
Hurr and Grafton said the rink will be back next year; Hurr said it will be back seasonably at least for the foreseeable future and will be back in the same location at New Town next year.
“As long as the demand for it is there, I foresee that we will be back, hopefully, for many years to come,” Hurr said.
Hurr said a real ice rink would have cost many hundreds of thousands of dollars and “the response has been very positive … the negative responses were it’s not real ice but we knew that coming in that it would not be the real thing, but it’s close as possibly able to do.”
“Overall it’s gone very well, of course there were a couple bumps and hurdles … but overall it’s brought a lot of smiles, which is what I was hoping for,” Grafton said.
The rink will be closed Fridays starting Jan. 11 but will be open from noon until 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in January through Jan. 27. For more information, visit the county’s website.
