The city of Durango has known about structural issues at Chapman Hill Ice Rink for at least a decade. But it remains uncertain if the issues amount to a critical problem that threatens the facility’s longevity as some doomsayers propose.
Part-time rink manager Paul Gelose said at a Durango City Council meeting last week that Chapman Hill Ice Rink won’t be capable of holding water in a few years’ time.
“The entire slab is tilting into the Florida River. This year in particular, when we made ice, we had a bare spot up in the northwest corner of the rink that was not holding water. When we flood, it just drains out the Zamboni doors. Worse than ever this year. We expect it to continue in that direction,” he said.
He said it would be nice to have new ice rink facilities for a variety of reasons, as discussed by other Durango and Bayfield residents who turned out at a City Council meeting to request new twin rinks. But the top reason for building new rinks is the momentum gained by the area hockey and figure skating communities over the last two decades would be lost should Chapman Hill Ice Rink’s future really be in jeopardy.
A 2022 Durango Parks and Recreation facilities report said the structural issues at Chapman Hill “cannot be remedied” and it might be better to find a new location for ice skating facilities.
“As amenities continue to deteriorate, it may not be affordable or practical to dedicate funds to maintain the rink in ‘very good’ condition, but rather maintain as ‘fair’ until another facility is approved,” the report said.
Durango Assistant Recreation Director Kelli Jaycox said she has not witnessed the continued degradation of facilities at Chapman Hill, although structural issues like a slope in the rink have been known about for about 10 years.
Chapman Hill Ice Rink was built on top of a spring and water is known to seep up from the floor. Ice maintenance crews have reported worse issues this year than in past years. But the severity of structural issues is not yet known, she said.
The city is working with Goff Engineering & Surveying to perform a structural analysis this summer.
“Let's hope it's not going away in the next couple of years because a new sheet of ice will take time (to be approved and built),” she said.
But she is also fond of the idea to build a new twin rink facility elsewhere in town. She said twin rinks would better accommodate the hockey, figure skating and public skate scenes by allowing year-round skating and additional gym and recreation space for other sports communities.
cburney@durangoherald.com
A previous version of this story misidentified the city of Durango’s assistant recreation director as Kelly Schmidt. Schmidt is the director of recreation; Kelli Jaycox, who is quoted in the story, is the assistant director.
