***Friday, January 14th update***

The Town of Strathmore announced this morning (Friday Jany 14)  that due to favourable temperatures overnight on Thursday and the completion of a flood the Lions Outdoor Rink has reopened as of Friday morning. At this time the ice surface at Terry Ray Clark Park is also open! 

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Original story below: 

At the start of the week, there was a positive outlook from the town's parks and recreation team that the outdoor skating rinks at the Lions Outdoor Rink and the skating area in Terry Ray Clark Park would be able to remain open.

Over the last few days, that plan has to change explained Geoff Person Communications Manager with the Town of Strathmore, “Unfortunately we had to close the outdoor rink temporarily because the temperatures were higher than maybe forecasted last week, so so we've had it locked off this week.”

The hope is to see temperatures cool down a bit for the areas to open for use by Friday explained Person. That doesn’t mean that there is no other option for residents if they would like to enjoy some outdoor skating this week.

“Kinsmen Lake and Strathmore Lake are still open and our Parks Department has been measuring ice there. It's still over 12 inches thick and so those surfaces are open and we've seen people out enjoying those areas. “

The outdoor rink gets a lot of sun exposure especially in one corner unfortunately so that's where the ice gets very soft when the team inspects it.

The temperatures do need to fall for the ice surface to firm up because if the surfaces are soft skating on them can cause damage which would then mean the surfaces would need to be closed for a longer period of time, explained Person.

“With the outdoor skating on the ponds we have signs posted on each corner of those ponds so people can see what the ice depth is and whether we're advocating that it's safe or not, so by all means, before you get on the ponds to skate, take a look at the sign.”

All inquiries can be directed to the Town of Strathmore.