Neighbourhood Rinks

• Ensure ongoing commitment of at least six households from the community who agree to support the rink and sign off to acknowledge their roles and responsibilities.
• Provide a water source and water at their own expense where there is no City water source.
• Sign an agreement with the City which outlines the roles and expectations and service standards for Neighbourhood Rinks.
• Complete Neighbourhood Rink Training.
• Build, maintain and flood the rink to standards acceptable to the City, complete inspection checklists daily and maintain the open/closed sign.
• Provide shovels and rink maintenance equipment.
• Request pre-approval for any additions (lighting and fencing).
• Where approved, provide and maintain additions at your own expense.
• Ensure lights are temporary, turned off by 10 p.m. and removed from the rink each night.
• Allow free access to all members of the community.
• Be a good neighbour – Have conversations with your neighbours about the rink. Strong neighbourhood connections go a long way to reduce complaints.
  • Get the community involved and helping out.
  • Ensure noise levels are reasonable and skating is done by 10 p.m.
  • Be respectful of property and fences that back onto the park.

• Return in good repair all tools/equipment loaned by the City for support of ice rink - boards, hoses, and picnic table.
• Provide storage of rink tarp provided by the City through the off season.

Once the site is approved, the City’s staff will:

• Conduct volunteer training.
• Cover Liability Insurance for the volunteer group where service levels, inspection expectations and the agreement is upheld.
• Review any request for additions to the rink (lighting and fencing).
• Provide and install perimeter boards for the approved site (approximate size is 32’ x64’).
• Provide up to 150’ of hose.
• Provide a rink liner. Volunteer team stores in the off season.
• At sites where there is a City water supply, provide an orientation to the water supply and the site for the volunteers.
• Provide and install a Neighbourhood Rink Rules Sign and an Open/Closed sign.
• Provide a picnic table.
• Monitor the park throughout the season for safety purposes.
• Host meetings to provide support and address concerns where necessary.
• Provide support for trouble shooting during the rink-making process.

Community:

• Begin building ice. We ask groups to wait until January. Often rinks are only successful in January and February in Burlington.
• Complete inspection checklists to maintain safety for the community.
• On-going ice maintenance.

Community:

• Remove all equipment that belongs to the community.
• Put hoses at front of your house for pick up by City Staff.
• Remove tarp for storage in the off season.
• Make notes and meet with your group about improvements for next year – share your ideas with the City.

• Rink making is a labour of love. Be prepared to ask for help and dedicate time to this initiative! Burlington weather is mild for making outdoor rinks, so the tarp, if maintained properly, will help hold water when temperatures rise above 0C
• Double check your boards are level. There should be no more than a 10-12” difference between high and low sides
• If you have a rink that is two boards high on one side, think about only filling ½ the rink to start and freezing that first. Large amounts of water will be too much weight for the end boards.
• Ensure that there are no large sticks or rocks that may puncture the tarp when laid down.
• Look at the forecast! Temperatures must be below -5C for at least 5 nights before you add water, preferably -7C to -10C. The ground should be frozen before adding water as warm ground will keep the water from freezing.  Ideally, there will be snow on the ground.
• Install the tarp RIGHT before the water is being added. The tarp will be torn by animals, people, wind if you lay it early. Get a large group of people to lay the tarp, it’s heavy.
• DO NOT attach the tarp until after the water is added. Think about attaching it with clips or ½ of pool noodles rather than screws to prevent ripping at the screw.
• Filling – Use hoses, or if filling with a water truck, ensure they bring a long enough hose as trucks are not allowed to drive onto grass area of city parks.
• Add caution tape in a zig zag pattern over the rink to help prevent people from going on the ice too early
• Do not stake anything into the ground around the rink.
• Educate your community. Use social media to remind people to stay off the ice until the rink is ready. Remind them that dogs and children on the ice early will cause extensive damage to the tarp.
• Think about adding 2x4s or thin wood on the inside of the tarp (not necessary). This will help prevent skates from putting holes in the edges of the tarp.
• Consider emergency access. Will vehicles be able to get to an injured person on your rink? Ensure paths are not blocked, e.g. by snowbanks.

Maintaining a good skating surface

Once you have a solid base of ice, at least 5 inches, you will need to maintain your rink.

• Shovel snow and debris off the surface after every skate, right after it snows and before flooding.
• Flooding can be as simple as using a spray nozzle on a hose, or you could create a "homeboni". Do some research to see what might work for you and your location.
• Flood as often as possible.  In Burlington, the days that are cold enough for ice to freeze properly are few, so flood the ice when it does turn cold (<-5C).  Build up the sheet’s thickness so that on mild days the rink can withstand the sun without patches of earth showing through and chunks breaking off the surface. 
• Use hot water if possible for flooding.
• If waiting between floods, allow a small trickle of water to run through the hose to prevent the hose from freezing.
• Make certain that each flood is frozen solid prior to adding another.
• Don’t allow the snow banks to become too high. Periodically lower them by pushing the snow, from the top, farther away from the surface.  This will lessen the amount of snow being dragged back onto the surface by participants as well as facilitate easier cleaning.
• “An Ounce of Prevention” … Ongoing repairs to cracks and chips in the ice surface is more desirable than attempting to repair damages to the ice surface through flooding alone.

Steps for repairing a crack, chip or hole:

• Sweep or clean the hole of all snow or ice chips.
• Mix a slush mixture of snow and water.
• Pack the slush in the hole.
• Level off the slush with a shovel, trowel, hockey stick or puck, etc.
• (Optional) Sprinkle with a light flood of water.
• Keep people from skating on the spot until frozen

Dealing with shell ice (an air bubble with a thin layer of ice over top):

• Break the surface.
• Remove the brittle ice completely.
• Pack solid with a mixture of snow and water.
• Level with shovel, trowel, hockey stick, etc. and remove excess slush.
• Avoid stepping or skating on this area until frozen solid (see diagram)

Care of equipment and safety:

• Always put equipment away overnight.
• Drain hoses after every use. By elevating the hose nearest the tap and walking towards the nozzle, any water remaining within the hose will drain. This will minimize excess water or ice buildup near the tap area.
• Be certain that the water is shut off completely after every use.
• Remove temporary lights and end of each day.

Creating or using a social media group can be helpful in the maintenance of your rink by:

• Advertising your rink to gain support.
• Promoting fundraising initiatives.
• Communicating about when the rink is open or closed, rink rules and scheduling.

How to:

• Appoint a social media person for your rink
• Create a group or page on Facebook or a social media platform of your choosing.
• Post regularly and share your posts with other local groups until you get a good following. Have your group like and share the posts as well. Posting alone does not ensure it is reaching a lot of people, you will need to push out those posts, especially at the beginning.
• If you are creating a new group, work with local established social media community groups to see if they can help you share and promote. These groups will have a bigger reach.

Maintaining a rink could cost $1000 or more if you are providing your own water. Water truck fills cost around $300. Shovels, extra hoses and homemade Zambonis can all add to the cost of your rink. Fortunately, your community is willing to pitch in, they just need to know how!

Options:

• Advertise through your social media platform for a direct etransfer opportunity. Ensure at least two people have access to the financials of these transfers for accountability purposes.
• Go Fund Me. This online fundraising platform takes a small percentage of your fundraising but allows for transparency. You can show your goal and what the money is going towards. A direct link can be shared on social media, so your community can donate directly to the link.
• Be open and clear.
  • State your fundraising goal.
  • Tell people exactly what you are fundraising for.
  • Keep your community up to date. Let them know how much was donated and what the money was used for.
  • Thank your community! You are working hard to provide a rink, but financial support is important too, be sure to send out those appreciations. 

In order to maintain the safety of the public the following is recommended:

• All volunteers are to complete the necessary training as laid out in the agreement.
• Volunteers should wear appropriate clothing for winter temperatures, including safety boots, safety glasses, gloves and safety helmet.
• Volunteers should not work alone in the interest of their personal safety.
• The general public should not be on or using the ice while Volunteer Team members are flooding, clearing snow from or repairing the ice.

Working in cold temperatures

• Working under cold conditions can lead to various injuries or health effects. The hazardous effects of cold on the body may include dehydration, numbness, shivering, frostbite, immersion foot (trench foot), and hypothermia. Hazards associated with cold stress are categorized into systemic and local effects. Local effects impact the part of the body where the exposure to cold is the greatest.
• How to recognize cold stress: Shivering is the body’s response to cold stress and serves as a protection mechanism by increasing the rate of metabolism. Be on guard for cold stress if volunteers or members of the public are shivering because it’s a good sign of cold stress and possible hypothermia.
• If cold stress is observed, get to a warm environment, drink warm non-alcoholic liquids and seek medical attention as needed.

Lifting techniques

Improper lifting techniques can lead to back, leg and arm pain. Poor technique can cause both acute injury, and serious chronic effects.

The following lifting techniques will help you avoid these problems:

• Size up the load. Determine the appropriate weight by tipping the container or lifting one end of the item. If you think the item is too heavy to lift or too difficult to handle, obtain additional help. If help is unavailable, leave the item and report to the City.
• Take a good stance. Ensure that you are standing on solid footing, legs shoulder width apart, with one foot further back than the other.
• Get a firm grip. Ensure that you have a secure hold on the item. Use your whole hand not your fingertips to grasp the item.
• Keep your back straight. If you must bend, bend at the hips. Do not bend your back.
• Tuck in your arms and elbows. This gives your arms as much strength as possible.
• Use leg muscles to lift. Push with the rear foot as you lift.
• Hold the load close to your body. This will help to maintain proper balance.
• Do not twist the body. To change direction, shift the foot position and turn the whole body.