Skating rink drew about 376 families, organizer says; vendors, safety and storage issues noted

Brandy, who led the seasonal downtown skating rink project, told the Scott County Visitors Commission that the rink drew about 376 families and that she kept a detailed binder of visitor ZIP codes to confirm residency and attendance.

Brandy outlined how donations were allocated to local groups: multiple line items recorded in the meeting packet assigned modest amounts to organizations including the animal shelter, a program called We Care, the Silver Angels (nursing-home assistance), and the local radio station. She said some donations remained to be dropped off and that she had not yet finished reconciling every entry.

The organizer described several operational lessons: the courthouse lawn proved bumpier than expected (she said the rink had to be reduced by a row or two), the poly-gel used to form the surface required additional product after the first weekend, and tent/propane rules from the fire marshal forced a switch to electric heaters for some operating days. Brandy said those constraints cost the commission a potential day of operation that likely kept the project short of a stated goal of 400 families.

She told commissioners that all rink materials are stored at John Jones's building, and that the setup can be reused next season. Brandy suggested that with earlier planning and more volunteer support — and by addressing power and leaf-control issues — the project could scale up and better meet its goal next year.

Commissioners thanked Brandy for running the event and asked staff to track attendance by ZIP codes and finalize donation distributions. No formal vote was required for the rink report.