Quote:
Originally Posted by YOWetal
Yes they aren't a full subsititute but I think for downtown they are as important or more than an indoor rink. The people who use the indoor rinks drive there anyway so can go to suburban rinks. That's not the case for users of the outdoor rinks. Suburbs have backyard rinks and lots of other outdoor activities so don't need outdoor rinks as much. Yes in an ideal world they are all renovated and brought up to standard and we maintain the outdoor rinks and pools and lessons and..... We are broke. Maybe each ward should get it's own funds and disperse as it sees fit. We get very much shortchanged downtown on the lesson front.
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I really hope the city doesn't go further down the road of making urban dwellers drive to the suburbs to access facilities. That is such a backwards way of planning. And I think you'd actually be surprised at how many people walk to the various skating programs and hockey at downtown rinks. Even more in the summer when they are used for skateboarding and ball hockey and lacrosse. Not the majority, but a significant minority.
I suspect that the urban rinks could all be renovated and have an outdoor pad added for less than it costs to acquire land in the suburbs and build a multiplex. Unfortunately the city seems to be eyeing the land values of those facilities, which just worsens the problem.