Two New Lighted Ice Rinks Opening Soon in Downtown Wheaton

The Wheaton Park District is putting its final touches on two outdoor lighted ice rinks with hopes of opening the rinks to the public in the coming weeks.

Final equipment is arriving this week and next week and the park district is hoping to open the two new rinks at the Wheaton Park District’s Central Athletic Complex, 500 S. Naperville Road in Wheaton, by the third or fourth week of December.

“We are working hard to have them open for the holiday break,” said Director of Parks and Planning Rob Sperl. “Our best-case scenario is December 23, but due to this fall’s unseasonably warm temperatures, preparations for ice rinks across Chicagoland have been delayed.”

The rinks, located on the east side of the complex’s athletic fields, can accommodate up to 288 skaters. Measuring 5,800 square feet, the smaller of the pair will host ice hockey, and the larger, coming in at 8,600 square feet, will host open skate time, according to a news release from the park district. Skate rental and concessions are not provided.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to enhance your health and wellbeing with your family or friends,” said Director of Recreation Mary Beth Cleary. “These rinks will be open for all ages and skill levels as a free activity.”

Once the rinks do open, the rink's hours will be from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily through the winter season. Portable warming shelters and indoor restrooms will be open 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays, 1 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Additional hours for the shelters may take effect during school breaks and holidays.

“The system we are designing should be available for use from December through March each year,” Sperl said.

Benches and an ADA-accessible restroom trailer will also be onsite. Food and nonalcoholic beverages are permitted off the ice. Smoking and alcoholic beverages are prohibited on district property.

The district’s Parks Services Department will groom the ice with a resurfacing machine as needed. Depending on crowd size, resurfacing intermissions should occur a few times per day.

“This will provide a safe, consistent ice skating surface that is not as dependent on the weather as what we have done with ponds and manmade ice in the past,” said Sperl.

Rinks Will Include Chiller That Will Allow for Skating When Temps Warm

When the district secured the former site of Hubble Middle School in 2012, preserving its three gyms and athletic fields, it also started several projects—utility restoration, HVAC modernization, floor replacement, new bleachers, and more—to improve the 12-acre parcel.

As staff discussed a new air conditioning system, including a high-capacity chiller, for the gyms, Sperl remembered a lunchtime walk during a meeting in Elgin.

“I was walking around and saw their ice rink that was using the chiller from city hall to provide the ice,” Sperl said. “When we started the Central Athletic Complex project, air conditioning was discussed. When we asked the engineers about the potential for using that building’s chiller system for ice, they said it was definitely possible.”

Installed this spring, the chiller will keep the rinks usable in weather up to 40 degrees, a more efficient system than waiting for Jack Frost.

“Having thick-enough ice on ponds takes a very long period of cold weather and creating ice sheets in open turf is very labor-intensive,” said Sperl.

The Parks Services Department will monitor the ice’s condition and fly a green flag when it’s ready and a red flag when it’s too warm. Guests can check the status from home and subscribe to the district’s Rainout Line for more frequent updates at wheatonparkdistrict.com/status-updates.

Come spring, summer, and fall, the permeable paver plazas beneath the ice can be used for spectator seating, thanks to the foresight of Superintendent of Planning Steve Hinchee.

“Steve spoke to the manufacturers of these ice systems and worked with our engineer to make sure it would all work together,” Sperl said. “He worked with our civil engineer and the City of Wheaton to design and permit the changes necessary for the surface to be level.”

Along with open skate and ice hockey, the rinks will be available for rental in one-hour increments on Sundaymornings, January 1 through March 26, 2017. To schedule a rental, contact mbcleary@wheatonparks.org or 630.690.4880.

As weather permits, winter warriors can still visit Herrick Park (Herrick Dr. & Armbrust Ave.), Northside Park (1300 N. West St.), Rathje Park (616 Delles Rd.), and Seven Gables Park (1750 S. Naperville Rd.) for ice skating, too. These locations will be open dawn to 10 p.m. and also use the flag system.

Sperl thinks the ice rinks will enhance downtown Wheaton.

“This is an amenity that was recommended in the city’s downtown plan and [it] will bring people from the community and elsewhere to the area,” he said.

To learn more about the Central Athletic Complex’s ice rinks and the Wheaton Park District’s other winter recreation opportunities, visit wheatonparkdistrict.com/outdoorfun.

Photo credit: Wheaton Park District