Silver Lake has an ice skating rink, just in time for the first really cold weather of the season.
Village Board members and other volunteers worked Thursday to assemble the rink at Schmalfeldt Park.
The board discussed the project all fall. The rink ended up costing about $3,800, said Trustee Doug Randolph, who organized the project as part of his chairmanship of the General Welfare, Buildings, Public Works, Parks, Public Lands & Library Committee. Most of the material will be able to be reused year to year.
About 15 people were helping at about 11:30 a.m.
All Village Board members except one who is out of town and another who has work conflicts helped, said village President Bruce Nopenz, who noted the significance in that result for a board that at times can be deeply divided.
The Silver Lake Fire Department, in one of its last officials acts, was to fill the rink with water Thursday afternoon. Randolph said hydrant water supplied by Town of Salem Fire/Rescue will be used rather than having to draw water from the lake.
Here are some more photos from the set-up a little before noon.
Tonight we join forces with Salem Fire And Rescue. Like the Sheriffs’ Department. Salem hired all the Silver Lake Firefighters that applied. Watch the service move into the next century. Our new board knows what is best for Silver Lake.
Nice to see the village board members working together with dedicated citizens for the benefit of everyone…..a “win-win” for the village. Nice job. Thanks!
Love it!!!!!
Another great job done by the new village board. Vote Bob Raymond, Laura Francart and Dan Whiters for the village board this spring. Keep the good work going.
$3,800 for a rink that can only be used from dusk to dawn due to the park hours. Nobody to maintain the rink either. Another example of the new board members making decisions before they actually think about what they are voting on. Seems the the lake was a great place for people to skate for years. Now we need a rink at the park?
Does everything have to be about politics? Stop tainting something FINALLY good in this village with politics!
A Joke,
You are the joke. They changed the ordinance on hours of the park. Get your facts straight.
To our neighbor posting as “A Joke”.
I grew up skating on a lake, and those are some of my very best memories as a kid. Unfortunately we live in world where Liability is a major cause for concern. If our Village sponsors an ice rink, on Silver Lake, and someone falls through the ice, a law suit is certain to follow. An ice rink in Schmalfeldt Park is the most logical location. There is Parking, Lighting, and it is very easy to get to. The opportunities for fun events are endless. All I am asking from you, is to give this idea a chance, and break out your ice skates and have some fun, and you will. I feel that this is the beginning of many community involved projects that will give everyone a sense of pride in contributing to our Village. Thank you. I understand your frustration, but change isn’t always bad.
Chris I agree with you. People have to let go of the past. This world is forever changing and if you do not change with it. You will find yourself in the same position our last village board did. Not my rules. This is how it works. With or without your participation.
Liability? Are we not also liable if a kid breaks his ankle at the new Silver Lake ice rink? Drive by the new ice rink at night. The lighting is horrible. For years we’ve shut down Schmalfeldt Park at dusk due to many problems. But now it’s ok because someone wanted to waste $3,800 of taxpayers money to ice skate and were to lazy to shovel off a rink on the lake? It would almost be funny if not for the fact that taxpayers are paying for this mess. P.S. to GG and SL Government ( aka Mr. Dunn)n , if you spent as much time volunteering in the community as you do gossiping like school girls at the gas station, Silver Lake would be a better place to live.
A Joke. You Townies truly need to move to Alaska. We have positive actions going on and all you can do is complain. What about all the other tax dollars wasted in this town in the past? I bet you were ok with that…
I guess Bernard punsley now thinks he works for the weather channel in a El Niño winter which were in that 3800 dollars is going to a outdoor swimming pool in about a week, well done big bucks!!!
To the poster of January 19: If you bothered to come out when thing are getting done you would have seen myself and several other board members volunteering our time to assemble the rink. I believe I have done more volunteering around here then you, like picking up trash along the side of the road. I was going to ask who cares if I spend some time in the morning talking with friends but apparently you do because it’s such a big deal. Maybe if you had friends you could meet with you would not have to post comments and bad mouth work others have done. Al Dunski and others have posted times and dates when he has organized clean ups and other work but I have never seen you out helping. I normally don’t publicize what I do around the Village because I don’t do it for that reason, but I’m not going to sit back either and let some anonymous person gripe or bad mouth others too. If people like you would get off your backsides and do something for the good of the Community our Village would be a whole lot better.
Spending a couple days picking up garbage doesn’t negate the years of back stabbing and voting on things that will benefit your friends. Shame on you.
To Poor Pat. It sounds to me like you are the one with the problems. There is a void in your life. Missing the way business was done with the last board. I am not. It is finally working correct. Sorry for your loss.
Sorry Greggy, unlike you and the rest of your crew I make my own decisions on what is best for the majority of the residents of Silver Lake. You, Francart, Albrecht, etc couldn’t get elected yourself so you duped a couple others to do your dirty work. Shameful, but with your past history , not surprising.
Sorry there Wrong again. Your thinking is weak. That is why you can not understand. Get out of this game. You do not have what it takes. I guess I wouldn’t use my name if I were you. You just don’t measure up.
A old man with nothing better to do then gossip and start rumors. pitiful.
Lake is great for skating right now yet the $3,800 per project ice rink looks like a big puddle. Sure was a great idea to spend all that money !
My children LOVE the rink!!!! Thank you so much for doing a good thing for this community. Change is a good thing and in this day and age our children need to see adults working together to build our Village and not tear it down with childish name calling and bickering. We have a drug epidemic in this county so these kids need to see positivity and have safe, fun places to hang out. This ice rink is a great start!
Unfortunately a lot of the drug problems in the area are due to the parents. You can’t smoke pot in front of your kids than be surprised when they smoke .