It’s official — the ice rink at Callahan Park will be open for area hockey leagues on Nov. 1.
The announcement was made Thursday by Bradford city administrator Chris Lucco, who released a letter from city council.
“After looking at the multitude of options and the very recent ruling by U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV striking down Governor Wolf’s limitations of persons for recreational gatherings, Mayor (James) McDonald and city council have determined to open the ice-skating rink for area hockey leagues on November 1st,” the statement read.
“Because of the prior restrictions and uncertainty of how to operate under those restrictions we are behind schedule for the normal opening date of October 15th,” the message continued.
At this time, officials are working toward opening the rink for public skating by late November or early December.
“The delay in open skate is for several reasons, the need to hire staff, and to develop a comprehensive plan to allow for skating while keeping the safety of the public and our employees in mind,” the statement continued. “The details for open skate will be released once they are finalized.”
The statement concluded with a note from city officials about the negative impacts of the pandemic.
“In our community where our residents utilize our parks and recreational services as a benefit of living in a rural area, we really wanted to make this happen for the public,” the councilmen and mayor indicated.
The decision had not been made at Tuesday’s council meeting. When asked on Thursday, Lucco said the opening of the rink was not something that had to be done by resolution. Each councilman had been contacted and voiced support for the rink to be open, which in turn allowed for the public statement to be released.
