The outdoor ice rink at Courthouse Park in the city of Cortland. (Photo Source: Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).
Cortland County residents were graced with a couple of local outdoor ice rinks this winter, but abnormally mild temperatures throughout the season made it tough to consistently keep them open.
The outdoor rinks at Courthouse Park in Cortland, and at the Village Green in Homer were packed up at the beginning of March, closing up a short season for both.
Andrea Piedigrossi, director at the Cortland Youth Bureau, was unsure how many days the city’s rink was open. However, she noted a weekly check of the conditions found wet spots “more often than not.”
Phil Stockton, the village’s superintendent of public works, said the rink in Homer was open for a total of two weeks.
“I think Homer and Cortland both did everything possible to open the rinks, the weather just wasn’t on our side this year,” Piedigrossi said.
Both the city and the village plan to bring back their outdoor ice rinks for the next winter season, each at the same locations.
The village has a few ideas in mind for an improved outdoor rink season. Stockton noted the plan next winter is to level the Village Green, so his department doesn’t have to use as much water to fill the rink.
The village would also look into snow fencing around the rink, with two points of entry/departure, according to Homer police chief Bob Pitman.
“This would control the access onto the rink and signs can be placed with the rules or if the rink was closed,” Pitman said.
For Cortland’s ice rink, Piedigrossi is hoping for a few more cold days next winter to help “prolong the outdoor skating season.”
