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PUBLIC TAX DOLLARS BEING WELL SPENT - IN TORONTO, CANADASubmitted by Jeff Buster on Wed, 01/23/2008 - 14:29.
Kenny Ward told me about how he maintains Toronto skating rinks.
There are 10 rinks across the city, all are free to everyone to use, and each is resurfaced by a Zamboni twice every day. Mr. Ward works morings with one Zamboni and one truck and trailer, and another Toronto Recreation employee operates a second Zamboni and truck and trailer. Mr. Ward resurfaces five rinks on his morning shift, and the other employee resurfaces 5. Then there is a similar afternoon/eve shift which resurfaces 5 and 5.
That means the 10 rinks are each maintained twice every day.
Mr. Ward drives the truck that pulls the Zamboni on the trailer in the photo. And when he gets to the parks where the skating rinks are, he is the Zamboni driver, bringing it down off the trailer and going into that familiar modified figure eight pattern to clean and resurface the ice. The several outside rinks I visited had ammonia refrigeration loops under them and a refrigeration plant in a building next to the rink. The buildings housed bathrooms and changing rooms.
He was stopping for lunch when I caught up with him. I told him I was from Cleveland where we didn’t have anything like the Toronto rinks. Mr. Ward beamed when I told him his report to me would be up on the internet today.
In Cleveland - as Roldo (link) points out Cool Cleveland this week - our tax money goes to the private corporations who profit from professional sports teams. The profit is privatized, and the costs for the baseball, football, and basketball forums are socialized.
Why did NEO make these decisions to spend our tax money not on our own kids, our own parks and recreation facilities? Instead NEO has decided to use our tax money to build stadiums for professional for-profit sports corporations - and then give those multi million dollar stadiums away to the corporations free of charge.
Think free ice skating rinks all over Toronto have any effect minimizing youth crime in Toronto?
Would your kids go out after dinner in Cleveland to join a pick up hockey match?
They would in Toronto!
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skating at the CMA Fine Arts Garden
The Cleveland Museum of Art was built on land donated by industrialist Jeptha Homer Wade II. This land is located in Wade Park, which was donated to the city in the nineteenth century by Wade's grandfather, Jeptha Homer Wade I. Prior to the construction of the museum, Wade Park was a popular recreation area that included a lake for boating and skating, walking paths, and picnic areas. Read more Now it seems there is one opportunity in Cleveland for outdoor skating in winter. In the book by Diana Tittle, A Walk In the Park: Greater Cleveland's New & Reclaimed Green Spaces I learned about skating in the Fine Arts Garden and people sleeping outdoors in the parks during the warm summer months. Nowdays who sleeps in the parks to avoid the heat? Anyone know of other winter skating opps for kiddos in Cleveland?
I wish
When I lived in Massachusetts, I loved skating on the cranberry bogs--by moon light --possibly one of the most beautiful experiences of my life time.
Here in Ohio, I also used to skate in Rocky River Park. Do they still freeze over the play fields there?? I would go with my dog (for protection) at night. One time, he decided to play with my shoes while I skated, and I couldn't find them in the dark, which meant that I walked home on those skates. Not fun. Bad dog!
SKATING in Cleveland!!!
This is the best news I have heard in a long time and it ALMOST makes me look forward to cold weather in Cleveland!!!
The Rink at Wade Oval
In celebration of Holiday CircleFest's milestone year, University Circle Inc. is excited to present the brand new Rink at Wade Oval.
Bring your own skates, or rent them when you get here, and enjoy![](http://www.universitycircle.org/userfiles/image/Events/HCF%202008/reindeer-ice.jpg)
picturesque Wade Oval in the winter. The Rink at Wade Oval is sponsored
by Target.
Ice Rink Hours
December 12-21
Fridays & Saturdays, Noon-7:00 p.m.
Sundays, Noon-5:00 p.m.
December 22-January 4
Sundays-Wednesdays, Noon-5:00 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays, Noon-7:00 p.m.
January 9-February 16
Fridays & Saturdays, Noon-7:00 p.m.
Sundays, Noon-5:00 p.m.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Noon-5:00 p.m.
President's Day, Noon-5:00 p.m.
Santa
Dear Santa--I got one present request filled by TARGET this year (thank you TARGET!!!), now if we could also get some pop-up rinks in the Big Creek Valley at one of the overflow lots at the ZOO (adjacent to Rain Forest) and downtown on Public Square!!! But, I won't complain. This is sooo COOL!