ESCANABA — Enhance Escanaba, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to beautifying the City of Escanaba so that it may be more attractive to residents and visitors, has been looking to bring a portable, refrigerated ice rink to town. According to Enhance Escanaba President Karen Moore, the group has considered locations within the city where installation may be feasible, chosen a supplier and style for the rink itself, been in communication with a community in Illinois that has the same type, and looked into crowdfunding the project.

Since the two ice rinks that used to exist downtown (one at Royce Park and one at Webster Elementary) no longer operate, the one in Escanaba to fill a similar role for free to the community is at the Catherine Bonifas Civic Center. However, the structure there is weather-dependent, and Recreation Director Kim Peterson said that this is the third winter in a row that conditions haven’t been cold enough to freeze layers of ice necessary for skating.

Another ice rink in town is found at the Hannahville Ice and Turf in the Wells Sports Complex. It’s indoors, well cared for — and usually reserved. Most of the schedule is filled with hockey practices and games. Open skate sessions, which are open to the public for a small fee, are offered on some weekend slots — always in the evenings, but not with a consistent pattern.

Enhance Escanaba wants to bring a rink that will again serve the community and be functional throughout the winter. As opposed to traditional flooded rinks that require below-freezing temperatures, the refrigerated style being considered utilizes coils beneath the surface, keeping ice frozen if the outdoor air is 50 degrees or lower.

The product Enhance Escanaba hopes to acquire is manufactured by a company called Iron Sleek. The rink is 44 by 80 feet, which Moore said is the size recommended by Iron Sleek for a city of Escanaba’s size. The city of Morris, Ill., which has a population just 2,000 higher than Escanaba’s, got the same model in 2021. Representatives in Morris reported being extremely happy with it.

“We are able to expand this rink if this is wildly successful,” said Moore. “We’re starting out with this size. We have an idea of how much it’s going to cost to run the chillers — only an idea. So we want to go through a year to see what’s happening, and if they choose … you can buy extra mats and just add to it.”

She emphasized that the project is only proposed at this point in time. As Enhance Escanaba hopes to build the rink on city property, certain procedures must be followed, and it will be up to the city to have the final say.

“My understanding is (Enhance Escanaba) wants to fundraise and donate this ice rink to the city, which — we would have to formally accept that donation,” explained Escanaba City Manager James (“Jim”) McNeil. “It’s something that we certainly don’t have the funding for. We’re not going to go pursue it.”

Apart from funds, a location would need to be decided upon. Moore said that while one early notion was to put the rink on the Municipal Dock, the current thought is to put it in a southern area of Ludington Park, down between the tennis courts and the bandshell. McNeil remarked that such a location could make sense, considering that ice skating could coincide with the sledding and skiing that already takes place in Ludington Park; he also pointed out that, alternatively, Royce Park still has a warming shelter. Ludington Park does not, but it fits with Enhance Escanaba’s vision of a central community rink, rather than a neighborhood one.

There are several requirements for a potential site. Moore said that it would need 100-amp service, lights, water, accessibility and a flat surface. Not all of those things yet exist.

In Ludington Park, there is not presently running water in the winter; existing lines are above the frost line and drained each year. To make an ice rink possible, a trench would need to be dug and another, deeper water line constructed. Lighting may need to be installed. There’s the question of where to store the materials in the off-season.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) invests in communities with the goal of achieving long-term economic prosperity within the state. Readers may be familiar with the Gladstone Area Pickleball group that recently succeeded in raising $50,000 through crowdfunding platform Patronicity, which was matched by the MEDC, yielding a total sum of $100,000. Enhance Escanaba hopes to obtain a similar grant, but notes that if they make the rink accessible, MEDC may provide an additional $25,000 towards the project.

Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL) partners with Sled Hockey U.P. to bring an adaptive sport to the region. This Swedish-born sport is a form of ice hockey in which players sit on sleds specially-designed for those whose disabilities prevent them from walking and skating (though players need not be disabled to participate). There is a group that plays sled hockey in Marquette, and another in Houghton.

According to SAIL, “sled accessible rinks allow players to remain in their sleds and skate off the ice into the bench area. This requires that the bench area is flush with the ice and there is clear plexiglass replacing the white boards.”

Technically, the rinks the Houghton and Marquette teams play on do not meet these qualifications. The players make do because they’re eager to participate, and volunteers help.

Athlete Jamie Glenn said that she finds value in the inclusive sport, saying, “It definitely changed my life and made me a better person because I get to do something really fun in the winter, and it gets me out doing a sport. I get to be part of a team. I love it and it’s really fun, so if somebody else could experience that, too, it would be really, really cool.”

Allen Beauchamp, general manager of Sled Hockey U.P., said that the organization would be interested in helping to develop a program in Escanaba if the opportunity arose. He mentioned that they have had players come to Marquette from Escanaba and Manistique.

Some believe that Esky having its own rink would similarly bring people from out of the area who would then spend time — and hopefully money — at other sites and businesses in town.

However, in order to make Enhance Escanaba’s ice rink dreams a reality, a pretty specific cost analysis needs to be drawn up, and those figures aren’t all together yet.

A representative from Iron Sleek said that the refrigerated 44 by 80 unit alone is $83,000, while the bordering boards add roughly $15,600. That does not include shipping, installation or maintenance.

Community Affairs Director Stad Knudson for the City of Morris, Ill., reported that their installation was around $8,000, and the teardown is around $5,000. The rink is taken down when not being used, but if placed on concrete (which Morris is considering for future seasons), the structure can be left up and used for roller skating in the warmer months.

Both Morris and the home of Iron Sleek (Addison, Ill.) are Chicago suburbs, and it is likely that delivery to Escanaba will make for an additional fee. To save service costs, the company offers to train people at the destination in the setup, breakdown, and maintenance of the equipment.

Knudson said that he couldn’t praise Iron Sleek enough and that their accountability and customer service are the best he’s seen from any company.

The City of Morris sells sponsorships that go on the panels around the ice rink; Moore suggested doing the same as a way to raise more money in Escanaba.

Exact prices for water and electricity were unavailable, but Knudson estimated it was about half the cost of running their city’s swimming pool.

During the rink’s operating season, maintenance is relatively minimal and in Morris is conducted by the Public Works Department. However, in Escanaba, there isn’t much spare money to support employing people to perform such tasks, and the most major concerns from City Hall surround the upkeep and utilities.

“If somebody gives you a horse, you have to feed it and groom it,” said McNeil, reiterating that the city would not be able to accept a donation without knowing what the operating cost was going to run.

He acknowledged that the Recreation Advisory Board was in support of the concept. “It’s not, like, part of the rec plan, but certainly they think that it could be beneficial,” he said. “It’s a nice idea, we just need more details before accepting.”

Moore said that Enhance Escanaba also has a few other ideas in the works. A notable past project that came to fruition, made possible by grants and donations, brought 36 large flowerpots and 94 dwarf hydrangea trees to Ludington Street. Contact may be made through enhanceescanaba.org.