EAST AURORA
Open-air ice rink set for village
If all goes as planned, East Aurora will be home to a large, outdoor skating rink in the Main Street district this winter.
The Aurora Ice Association — a nonprofit group that is still pushing for an indoor twin-ice rink in the village eight years after first proposing it — just acquired the portable, temporary single-sheet rink that was used in the Winter Classic Ice Bowl on New Year’s Day in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
“It’s a great test run,” said Anthony DiFilippo IV, association president. “We look at this as a way to get kids skating this year and see what the community thinks. It will be like old-time skating and hockey, where you come with your equipment, sit on a bench and go.”
The association’s multimillion-dollar indoor ice rink project is still alive and facing detailed environmental review by village officials. The project has generated widespread debate in the community, with concerns about the proposed site on Riley Street and potential environmental and noise impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.
The association signed a contract to acquire the outdoor rink, with a capital investment of about $350,000. The seasonal rink is not a permanent structure and will not have a roof, or sheltered warming area. Supporters of the concept say it could spur additional business along Main Street, as parents wait for their children to finish skating.
Site work for the rink began this week, with the expectation that it could open in late October and be open through late March. The rink does contain refrigeration and a Zamboni has been acquired to help maintain it.
High school teams could practice at the rink, which also would offer public open skates and learn-to- skate programs, as well as hockey programs for younger players. The village’s annual Carolcade, held before Christmas, also could include skating. The association intends to hire a rink manager.
DiFilippo said the purchase of the temporary rink is not meant as a substitute to plans for a permanent indoor rink. The outdoor rink will have lights and meet village code. Because the rink is a temporary structure, it does not require village approval.
Village Administrator Kimberly Reichert said the trial run with the Ice Bowl rink would be good to gauge community reaction.
Meanwhile, Aurora town officials will soon discuss whether they would still freeze a portion of Hamlin Park in the village for skating, which the town has done for years.
