THE FORMATION AND OPERATION OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD OUTDOOR ICE RINK

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RECREATION DIVISION, COMMUNITY & EMERGENCY SERVICES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION, PUBLIC WORKS, OPERATIONS (PARKS) & WASTE MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR: THE

1 RECREATION DIVISION, COMMUNITY & EMERGENCY SERVICES AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DIVISION, PUBLIC WORKS, OPERATIONS (PARKS) & WASTE MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR: THE FORMATION AND OPERATION OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD OUTDOOR ICE RINK The City of Hamilton encourages the establishment of outdoor ice rinks through volunteer participation.

2 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.. 3 RINK REQUEST PROCESS. 3 FORMING AN OUTDOOR ICE RINK COMMITTEE. 4 CITY OF HAMILTON S RESPONSIBILITIES 4 Recreation Division 4 Environmental Services Division (Parks Dept) 5 RESPONSIBILITIES OF ICE RINK COMMITTEE 5 LIGHTS... 6 RINK SAFETY.. 6 Rink Use 6 Zero Tolerance 7 CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE ICE RINK.. 7 GRANT APPLICATION.. 9 CONTACT INFORMATION. 9

3 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 3 INTRODUCTION The City of Hamilton is committed to working with community volunteers to provide outdoor ice rinks throughout the municipality each winter. The formation of an Outdoor Ice Rink Committee to achieve a common goal is an interesting and rewarding experience. It not only creates a closer neighbourhood, it enhances the community through its objectives and raises more interest through participation in city operations and the political system. The benefits of outdoor natural rinks include: Provide families with the opportunity to participate together in recreational activity Encourage healthy lifestyles and contribute to the safety of the neighbourhood Provide free unscheduled skating for the community Fosters neighbourhood spirit RINK REQUEST PROCESS A group of volunteers residing in the City of Hamilton may apply to the Recreation Division to operate an outdoor ice rink. The group of volunteers should consist of at least two or more individuals, at least 18 years of age to support the construction, maintenance and daily inspections of the community outdoor ice rink. Every volunteer will be required to complete and sign a Volunteer Acknowledgement of Risk/Informed Consent form. The following lists the forms that need to be completed: 1. An Expression of Interest Application form must be completed, signed and submitted to the Sport Development Office located at Lister Block, 28 James St. N., 3 rd Floor no later than the first Friday in December of the current year. The applicant will be notified within 10 business days of approval or not. 2. Upon approval, each volunteer will be required to complete and sign a Volunteer Acknowledgement of Risk/Informed Consent form. 3. At the end of the winter season, a Grant Application can be completed and submitted to the Recreation Division no later then April 1 st of the current season. If applied for, a grant will be paid to the outdoor ice rink committee up to a maximum of $300 pending budget approval. The City of Hamilton will pay $7 per day for a single rink and $8per day for a double rink. It is based on the number of days the rinks were used and the conditions throughout the winter season which will be inspected by the cities staff.

4 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 4 These forms require a contact person who will be responsible for the equipment and safe operation of the rink. FORMING AN OUTDOOR ICE RINK COMMITTEE The process begins by determining how much interest and support there is in the surrounding neighbourhood. This can be achieved in several ways: 1. Discussions with neighbours that may have an interest in an outdoor rink. 2. Posting of notices in Recreation Centres. The above can be ongoing, but the core group of volunteers must be a minimum of 2 individuals to support the idea in case one loses interest. The committee should: Operate in a business-like fashion to ensure smooth operation; Post a weekly schedule for the volunteer to write in when they are available to assist; and Compile a telephone and address list of the volunteers and provide a copy to each person on the committee. CITY OF HAMILTON S RESPONSIBILITIES The Recreation Division will assist by: Accepting the Expression of Interest Applications and processing them accordingly. Work jointly with other city divisions to ensure all comments and concerns are addressed within an acceptable timeframe. Process all Grant Applications at the end of the season, as received. The Environmental Services, Public Works, Operations (Parks) & Waste Management will: Assist with site preparation (once the ground is frozen ploughing the snow initially to allow watering to begin) Secure water supply and electrical services* Provide removal of surface snow after a snowfall exceeding 10cm (4 inches) (only when requested and after all priority locations have been cleared (ie parking lots, park pathways, roads, etc.) Conduct weekly safety inspections Discuss the continuum of rink operations with volunteers as required Supply the following to each rink: o a wooden storage shed over the water supply, if necessary o hoses and nozzles

5 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 5 o a shovel and two scrapers o access to a water source o an electric heater o any required signs * If no water supply or electrical service exists, committee members should be made aware that it is expensive to install one and a submission would have to be made in the Capital Budget to get funding to install a water supply and electrical service. This could take a number of years to be approved depending on other Capital Budget priorities) The Environmental Services, Public Works, Operations (Parks) & Waste Management will not be putting boards around the perimeter nor doing the actual flooding. RESPONSIBILITIES OF ICE RINK COMMITTEE The Outdoor Ice Rink Committee will: Ensure each volunteer completes a Volunteer Acknowledgement of Risk/Informed Consent form. Ensure two people are available for safety reasons especially if the ice becomes very slippery when wet. Ensure two people assist in connecting and moving the hoses (they become very heavy and difficult to move when standing on wet ice). Create and maintain the ice surface by conducting daily flooding, weather permitting. Scrape and flood the ice surface. Maintain cleanliness around the rink area and in the shed. Clear snow if less than 10cm (4 inches). Record conditions and keep track of skating days. Monitor the posted skating times. Submit a Grant Application by April 15 of season completion. LIGHTS The Environmental Services, Public Works, Operations (Parks) & Waste Management will set the timer to come on at dusk and go off at 11:00 p.m.

6 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 6 RINK SAFETY The municipality has an obligation to ensure that anyone entering onto its property is reasonably safe while on that property. When a municipality recognizes or promotes an activity at a particular location, it assumes the responsibility to provide facilities that are constructed and maintained in a safe condition. Every volunteer with the City of Hamilton has the continuing responsibility for their personal safety, the safety of fellow volunteers/workers and the safety of the general public when carrying out their duties. The primary function of a risk management program is to prevent accidents while providing a safe environment for park visitors. Volunteers are required to identify risks, take the necessary corrective action and document both. Any potential hazard (within the park) that cannot be corrected immediately should be reported as soon as possible to the Parks Department. The following guidelines are recommended: Members of the general public should be asked not to utilize the ice when volunteers are working on the rink including: flooding, snow clearing and when ice repairs are being completed. Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing for the seasonal temperatures and weather along with footwear that provides good traction on slippery services. Volunteers should not conduct any work alone in the interest of personal safety. Rink Use All skating is done at the public s own risk on all outdoor ice rinks operated by volunteers within the City of Hamilton. Neither the city nor the Rink Committee can be held responsible. The use of helmets is strongly recommended. Patrons should be aware that outdoor ice may have more imperfections (bumps, ruts, soft spots, etc.) than indoor ice. Use of sport sticks (hockey, ringette, etc.) is allowed whereby it is recommended that sticks, pucks, and balls remain in contact with the ice surface and that no slap-shots are permitted. It has been determined that outdoor rinks do not serve organized activities (hockey) and that the play on the outdoor rinks is spontaneous and unstructured. The children and youth use of hockey sticks is for shinny which is an informal, unstructured and has no formal rules or specific positions and generally no goaltenders. Zero Tolerance Outdoor Ice Rinks shall abide by the City of Hamilton s Zero Tolerance Policy. Rinks are maintained at various parks throughout the city and are accessible to all those who wish to participate during posted hours. Access may be denied by the Manager of Sports & Community Development to an individual/group for conduct that violates any of the below:

7 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 7 o Is abusive or involves harassment of other park visitors/city staff/volunteers. o Uses offensive language and/or behaviour. o Involves the wilful destruction or vandalism of City property and/or assets. o Is contrary to reasonable and safe practices. o Is in violation of the rules and regulations of the City, Province of Ontario or Canada. CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF THE ICE RINK General Information If necessary, the Environmental Services, Public Works, Operations (Parks) & Waste Management staff will provide an orientation to ice making. The size and number of rinks is decided by the Committee. The greatest determining factors will be the size of the park and the planned use of the rink or rinks. It is better to create a larger surface to allow safer skating and room for shovelled snow around the perimeter. The following outlines the outdoor ice making rink process: Sustained cold weather is needed so the ground is frozen solid and the ice won t melt while you are in the process of making it and while it is thin in the early stages; The best time to make ice is when the temperature is below -5 C, so the light flooding can freeze prior to the next application. Daylight flooding requires considerably colder temperatures because the sunlight raises the ice surface temperature. Snow speeds up the process as it fills in some of the surface irregularities, covers the grass and is used to create the borders; The ice surface should be scraped off prior to flooding to remove snow and ensure a smooth surface to build on. The flooding is then achieved by multiple layers of a fine mist. This is very important for a solid base. A heavy spray warms up the surface and will run off or soak through, creating air pockets. (Setting down the hose and letting it run is not the way to make ice.) When flooding, o Start at one end of the rink and apply an even spray across the width. o Spray a strip approximately 6 wide. o Work progressively down the rink until the entire rink has been sprayed. o The flooding pattern should allow you to apply water to the completed surface of the rink without overlapping or causing you to walk on freshly watered surface (this might cause slush to build up). Note: If slush builds up, remove it immediately.

8 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 8 After the first flood is frozen, continue adding floods until you have a minimum of 1 base of ice and the rink is somewhat flat and level. Eventually if a sufficient number of floods are applied, the rink will become flat, level and ready for skating. The Parks By-laws require that the conditions of use for sticks must be posted. These signs will be provided by the Recreation Division and are to be posted at each of the outdoor rinks. These signs will serve as the rules and signage that will permit the use of hockey sticks on the outdoor ice rinks. The following outlines the wording on the sign: City of Hamilton Outdoor Rink General Notice RINK BUILT AND MAINTAINED BY COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS WITH THANKS FROM THE CITY OF HAMILTON Use the ice at your own risk. Use of helmets is strongly recommended. Outdoor ice may have more imperfections (bumps, ruts, soft spots, etc.) than indoor ice. No offensive language and/or offensive behaviour. Use of sport sticks (hockey, ringette, etc.) is allowed. o It is strongly recommended that sticks, pucks, and balls remain in contact with the ice surface. o PLEASE NO SLAP-SHOTS. PLEASE PLAY SAFE AND HAVE FUN! GRANT APPLICATION To help support and encourage the outdoor ice rinks, the City of Hamilton will pay a fixed amount per day of skating. The rates this year are: Single Rink: Double Rink: $7.00 per day $8.00 per day (Maximum of $ allocation pending budget approval) It is important to maintain accurate daily records of the ice conditions when submitting the Grant Application by April 1 st of the current season completed. Please note that payment will be received following the end of the season. The

9 GUIDELINES FOR THE FORMATION AND OPERATION 9 city performs regular checks on all outdoor skating rinks. Results are used to verify the Committee s request for payment. CONTACT INFORMATION For any issues related to the program (comments, questions, concerns, EOI and Grant applications) please contact: Kristen MacDonald at (905) ext 3860 For any rink related items (ice, lights, equipment, and maintenance) please contact Gina Fabello at (905) ext 2042

i I Neighbourhood Supported Outdoor Ice Rinks f:j London Recreation and active living enhance overall well-being.

i I Neighbourhood Supported Outdoor Ice Rinks f:j London Recreation and active living enhance overall well-being. Neighbourhood Supported Outdoor Ice Rinks Recreation and active living enhance overall well-being. f:j I i i I I City of London Community Services Department Neighbourhood and Children s Services October