KIPLING -- As many look to the outdoors in light of restrictions on indoor activities, a Kipling man has built an Olympic-sized outdoor skating rink in the town.
Alan Batters set up a tobogganing hill and ice rink on an empty plot of land he owns in Kipling last year, leading to the rink project for this winter.
Batters says seeing how much the community enjoyed the winter fun last year inspired him to build the rink, complete with a Zamboni.
"The property was the site of the old hospital site, so my son was born here and then sadly passed away here, so that's why I purchased the property,” said Batters, who also owns Gee Bee Construction Ltd.
“It's a bit of sentimental value to the land and stuff, so it's a little bit of a silver lining having something so nice here, especially at Christmas,” he added. “It's heartwarming."
The square footage is as big as an Olympic-sized ice rink measuring at sitting at 100 feet wide by 185 feet long.
While the rink looks primed for a hockey game, ice maker Bobby Byrnell says the rink is for everybody.
”I think the lines just accent it a little bit, just make to make it look that little more hockey feel,” Byrnell explained. “But definitely there's no hockey games or anything that's going to be going on. It's just a place to come and skate."
The rink officially opened on Dec. 11. Batters wants visitors to make themselves at home.
Lights are turned on at night, and the rink also has fire pits with piles of wood to be used on a first-come-first-served basis.
"It's good for the kids, it's good for my kids, it's good for everybody else’s kids and this year with COVID," said Batters. “The rink is open unlimited hours and so this way they can just come and go as they please.”
The rink has posted rules to keep everyone healthy, and the Zamboni keeps the ice pristine to keep everyone safe.
With COVID-19 the province has asked that nets be removed from outdoor rinks, but sticks are still welcome on the ice surface.
