MONROE - For many winters of the past, the city of Monroe had outdoor ice-skating rinks for the public to use, free of charge.
Currently, the only place to go ice skating in Monroe is indoors at the Stateline Ice and Community Expo, 1632 4th Ave. West, with open skate times several times per week.
Historically, three locations for outdoor skating were in operation for years - behind the shelter at Northeast Park, across from Market Square near the middle school and at Twining Park near the west shelter.
Monroe Park Director Paul Klinzing said the rink in Twining Park was built in 1983.
"Monroe Youth Hockey and the city association worked to build a pond-like hockey rink," Klinzing said. "That's where Monroe Youth Hockey practiced for years."
Klinzing remembered the skating rinks from when he first started in Monroe and noted how things have changed since then. Skating is no longer the popular activity it once was, he said.
"Way back when the hockey ice rink used to be at the high school, the boards were up all year round with a trailer," he said. "Outdoor skating used to be popular - we'd have 30 or 40 kids at a rink after school. But how many kids get new ice skates for Christmas anymore?"
In 2001, SLICE opened in Monroe as a permanent home for the hockey teams. From there, Monroe Recreation Director Marge Klinzing said use of the outdoor facilities quickly shrunk.
"When SLICE came, there was no interest anymore," she said. "Half a dozen kids would maybe be out after SLICE opened. After a couple of years, we gave it up."
Eventually, the Parks and Recreation Department stopped all use of the rinks. The first casualty was the Northeast Park location. Paul Klinzing said the Market Square and Twining locations stopped being used around 2008 and there is no interest to reopen them.
"Even when Monroe Youth Hockey moved to SLICE, we still had the rinks flooded and had the warming shelters," he said. "The rinks were still open after school and at night. After a while, they were just open on Fridays and the weekends."
He said maintaining the facilities became costly to the city, which contributed to their closure.
"One of the things with an outdoor rink is that the weather is unpredictable," Paul Klinzing said. "We worked to get the ice in for Christmas break when more people would be around and families could use it. It took a lot of maintenance and overtime hours. In a good year, you could get six weeks of use."
In recent years, bad weather has hampered other communities that still use outdoor skating rinks.
Chris Rear of the New Glarus Parks and Recreation Department said the village planned to create a rink at the basketball courts near the pool this winter, but warm weather has kept that from happening.
"The weather has not complied," Rear said last week. "As of right now, we have no plans for if it will get put in at all. It all depends on the weather."
Currently, the only place to go ice skating in Monroe is indoors at the Stateline Ice and Community Expo, 1632 4th Ave. West, with open skate times several times per week.
Historically, three locations for outdoor skating were in operation for years - behind the shelter at Northeast Park, across from Market Square near the middle school and at Twining Park near the west shelter.
Monroe Park Director Paul Klinzing said the rink in Twining Park was built in 1983.
"Monroe Youth Hockey and the city association worked to build a pond-like hockey rink," Klinzing said. "That's where Monroe Youth Hockey practiced for years."
Klinzing remembered the skating rinks from when he first started in Monroe and noted how things have changed since then. Skating is no longer the popular activity it once was, he said.
"Way back when the hockey ice rink used to be at the high school, the boards were up all year round with a trailer," he said. "Outdoor skating used to be popular - we'd have 30 or 40 kids at a rink after school. But how many kids get new ice skates for Christmas anymore?"
In 2001, SLICE opened in Monroe as a permanent home for the hockey teams. From there, Monroe Recreation Director Marge Klinzing said use of the outdoor facilities quickly shrunk.
"When SLICE came, there was no interest anymore," she said. "Half a dozen kids would maybe be out after SLICE opened. After a couple of years, we gave it up."
Eventually, the Parks and Recreation Department stopped all use of the rinks. The first casualty was the Northeast Park location. Paul Klinzing said the Market Square and Twining locations stopped being used around 2008 and there is no interest to reopen them.
"Even when Monroe Youth Hockey moved to SLICE, we still had the rinks flooded and had the warming shelters," he said. "The rinks were still open after school and at night. After a while, they were just open on Fridays and the weekends."
He said maintaining the facilities became costly to the city, which contributed to their closure.
"One of the things with an outdoor rink is that the weather is unpredictable," Paul Klinzing said. "We worked to get the ice in for Christmas break when more people would be around and families could use it. It took a lot of maintenance and overtime hours. In a good year, you could get six weeks of use."
In recent years, bad weather has hampered other communities that still use outdoor skating rinks.
Chris Rear of the New Glarus Parks and Recreation Department said the village planned to create a rink at the basketball courts near the pool this winter, but warm weather has kept that from happening.
"The weather has not complied," Rear said last week. "As of right now, we have no plans for if it will get put in at all. It all depends on the weather."