Residents Compromise Success of Winter Arenas by Skating on Thin Ice

Despite various attempts to get people out of their homes and into the snow for fun winter activities, the Downers Grove Park District has been forced to close many of its cold-weather sports sites due to inconsistent weather and residents themselves.

There are three rinks open to local ice skaters in the winter, depending on conditions, My Suburban Life reported — Whitlock Park, McCollum Park and Prince Pond — as well as opportunities to showshoe in Lyman Woods.

Kevin Rozell, Downer’s Grove’s superintendent of parks, told My Suburban Life that while certain skating areas could have been opened for longer, they weren’t because ambitious skaters tried the ice too early and compromised its stability.

“There were people on the ice when it was not quite ready, causing the ice to break before we could get the desired thickness needed for safe ice skating conditions,” he said.

Because of this, at the beginning of January, Whitlock Park’s arena had only been open for eight days and McCollum’s rink had been open for just four.

At Prince Pond, the village’s other skating location, the ice hasn't gotten thick enough to skate on. It needs to be at least eight inches for safe skating, according to the parks department.

For more information about Downers Grove parks and weather updates, click here.

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