Ice rink rumors: What’s the deal?

by Dennis GeIsinger

“I’ve gotten 30 or 40 phone calls and e-mails about the Matthews Park ice rink closing,” Minneapolis Park Board District 3 Commissioner Scott Vreeland (who manages Matthews, Brackett, East Phillips, Powderhorn and Longfellow Parks, among others) told Southside Pride. “No one that I know has talked about closing the Matthews’ rink. As a matter of fact, I was just out there today [last Tuesday] watching them put down water,” Vreeland said. The ice rink at Brackett Park was not opened this season because of budget constraints.

Southside Pride has learned from Park Operations and Recreation General Manager Michael Schmidt that the rinks at Matthews and Pearl Parks will remain open until Sunday, Feb. 24. “We based our decision on which rinks to keep open a few days longer on which are in the best general condition, and which have the most use,” said Schmidt. “We’re restricted by the funding that we have on hand to keep all the park rinks open,” said Schmidt.

When asked about a rumor concerning a donation made to the Park Board to help fund local rinks, Schmidt said that he heard a second-hand conversation about donated money, but could not confirm it. “If there was a donation,” Schmidt said, “it wouldn’t have been enough to cover the thousands we need just to keep one rink open.”

“I’d heard about someone donating $500 that they wanted used to keep three rinks open, but I think it was returned,” said Vreeland.
Park users have been on high alert lately because the news about money to fund city parks has all been bad. Funds for Local Government Aid have been squeezed off by the state, and the Minneapolis City Council voted against raising taxes in order to support the park board’s annual funding request.
“If we want to keep our parks open, we need to work the City and others who control the money,” said Vreeland.