Ice Rink Coming to Downtown Brighton

Meijer Skate Park will be getting a new addition in the form of an ice rink this winter, according to SELCRA Director Derek Smith.

"The park's cement slab had originally been poured with the intention of flooding it, but it's just never been done," Smith said. "So we kind of started talking and heard through word of mouth that people in the community want a pond-hockey type of open skating place."

Smith said SELCRA will fund the rink through a BP Fueling Communities Grant it received through Corrigan Oil. He also said they are working with Home Depot on lumber costs and other materials.

The Brighton Area Fire Department has agreed to flood the rink - and keep it flooded. In addition, a local business owner has agreed to loan out his sidewalk cleaning machine, which will melt and smooth out the ice.

"I didn't realize how excited people were going to be until we started talking about it," Smith said. "I'm hoping we have one of those consistently cold winters. Last winter, I don't think it dropped below freezing but a couple of times."

Currently, the skate park operates on an existing deficit of $8,000 a year. It is SELCRA's hope that with the addition of the ice rink, and a larger plan to install a splash pad in the spring of 2013, the park will become an asset to the community and draw larger crowds.

Smith said construction of the rink will begin on Monday afternoon and shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to complete. The plan is to wait on flooding it, until the weather becomes more appropriate.

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