An outdoor ice rink for Lenox

The announcement of a nor’easter/blizzard gives one time to pause while awaiting the snow storm, especially one that bypasses The Berkshires in terms of damage, power outages, etc.

The county was lucky in terms of escaping major damage from it or the after-effects.

Lenox officials claim they are looking for more tourists’ dollars and wonder out loud what kind of activity or draw would expand the season and make Lenox a winter attraction.

An outdoor skating rink!

Gee, we have ski resorts in the area and with the price of gasoline today, this area could market itself to day-trippers and weekend escapes for groups.

As to an added bonus, it’s simple: Turn the tennis court by the Old Center School into an outdoor skating rink.

The cost for the boards to hold the water/ice is relatively inexpensive. Volunteers, along with the Lenox Fire Department, can spray the court. There is a hydrant on the property to bring water to the court.

If there is a need for lights, they can be installed off the school building.

The Lenox Parks and Recreation Committee could open up the community center for bathrooms and serve soft and hot drinks when the rink is open and supervised.

Flashback: This reminds me of my days at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, when I would be spraying water at night in sub-freezing temperatures for an hour duration to build up the ice for the next day of ice skating, hockey and pleasure skating.

If this idea takes hold, there are endless ideas that might be applied to make this a community icon and bring in the families to share the joys of ice skating – young and old alike.

Posted by George C. Jordan III on February 21, 2013. Filed under Editorials,Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry