The ice is likely to be hot once again this year for Sunnycrest Ice Rink.
After last year’s extensive renovations, the rink will be even more popular this season, predicted Mike Behnke, president of the Sunnycrest Park Association, a citizen-member organization devoted to the improvement and maintenance of the park.
“Skating is a very inexpensive activity,” Behnke said, “and now with these renovations, I expect to see a lot more people using the rink this season.”
Sunnycrest Ice Rink is located on the city’s east side next to Henninger High School. It is one of the three city-operated ice rinks. The number of skaters using the rink each year is continually rising, according to the city’s parks and recreation department.
The rink’s renovations cost nearly $1.1 million, said Behnke of the park association. Of this money, $125,000 came from a state grant. The other 88 percent — or $945,000 — came from city funding and the federal stimulus package, said Behnke.
The main renovations focused primarily on “necessities,” Behnke said, like a new rink floor and a refrigeration system to prevent “soft spots” on the ice.
Joe Burns, director of Sunnycrest Ice Rink, said the rink usually opens up for the season on Nov. 1. But this year the renovations delayed the opening until Nov. 27. The crowd for opening weekend was nothing out of the ordinary, Burns said. But, he said, he expects crowds to increase as the winter season continues.
Last year the rink’s conditions were “sub-par,” Burns acknowledged. But the rink was busy, Burns said. And this year with the renovations, he said, “The rink is 50 times better than what it was.”
The city’s parks and recreation department operates three skating rinks: Meachem, Clinton Square and Sunnycrest.
“In a municipality our size it’s pretty unheard of to have three skating rinks. So for Syracuse it’s a source of pride in our community,” Patrick Driscoll, commissioner of the parks and recreation department, said.
Driscoll also highlighted the rink and its promotion of health and wellness within the community. “Syracuse and its residents love winter and love to recreate,” Driscoll said. “And Syracuse is a city that especially loves to ice skate, so finding the dollars to make these renovations happen was certainly long-overdue.”
The $125,000 state funding came from an earmark by Assemblyman William Magnarelli, D-Syracuse. For Magnarelli, the Sunnycrest renovations were important because of the public’s demand for an indoor rink.
“It’s good recreational activity for kids and families,” Magnarelli said. “It’s been there for years and people like to use it, so we wanted to keep it running.”
Added Magnarelli: “It’s parks and recreation — that’s what people assume their tax dollars are going toward. We are bringing back our tax dollars to accommodate things that taxpayers in the city of Syracuse want.”
(Lauren Malinowski is a graduate student in broadcast and digital journalism.)
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