A Longmont resident raised concerns with the city over the annual dismantling of the ice rink at Roosevelt Park.
The chain link fence that surrounds the takedown site was reportedly wide open for at least several days this week, prompting concerns about theft and safety.
“I walk my dog through the park regularly and there does not appear to be any progress in more than two weeks,” said Longmont resident William Davis. “The rink was dismantled and the sharp edges are exposed and children are playing on the pieces; The delicate plastic pipes are exposed and I saw people walking in the pipes.”
Davis said the equipment is lying around in “disarray.”
“I called the city to see if there is a plan and I haven’t heard back yet,” he said. “Beside being dangerous, I would assume the equipment is expensive and our tax dollars are being squandered with it laying out for anyone to break or take.”
Ben Wagner, recreation and golf superintendent with the city, said the chain-link fence that secures the site from public access isn’t supposed to be open.
“We’ll take a look at it and see if there’s anything we can do,” he said.
The city has never had an issue with theft during the annual setup or takedown of the rink, Wagner said.
“It’s generally an open area — it’s fenced, but … if somebody wants to get into that area bad enough, they’re going to be able to — you can break into a fenced area,” he said.
Wagner said the annual process to disassemble the rink takes around a month.
“This year, it’s been slowed down somewhat because of the snowy, cold weather we’ve had and continue to have up through this week,” Wagner explained. “We have to wait for areas to thaw out before we can continue, so it’s kind of a stop-and-go process.”
In addition, the city doesn’t have the budget for large crews to speed up the takedown process, he said.
“It’s just a few staff members over time who get it done,” Wagner explained. “If you wait for everything to thaw and you try to take it all down at once, then you’re extending the period of time further into the spring, when those same staff are working on opening pools.”
The ice rink closed March 12, and the city crew aims — weather permitting — to complete the disassembly by mid-April.
