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Park board to open JC Park warming house four days a week, with holiday hours
Summary
After debate about accessibility and budget, the board voted to open JC Park's warming house Thursday'Sunday and on school holidays; staff estimated warming-house staffing at about $8,000 and will monitor usage and staffing costs.
The Brainerd Park Board approved opening JC Park's warming house four days a week (Thursday through Sunday) and on school holidays, with staff reserving the ability to monitor usage and adjust staffing.
Staff outlined three options: open only the rink without a warming house, open the warming house on peak days (Thursday'Sunday), or open it seven days a week. Staff estimated warming-house staffing at about $8,000 and recommended limited days to control costs. "For any warming house staffing, that's about $8,000," staff said when describing the budget impact.
Board members voiced concern about the distance between parking and the rink and whether skaters would have a suitable place to suit up. Several members argued that opening the warming house on peak days would encourage use of the new facility while limiting the budget impact. One board member said the warming house should be available during school holidays and busy periods to avoid suppressing public usage of the new rink.
Andrew moved to open JC Park's warming house four days a week and on school holidays and proposed not charging for skate rentals but providing free skates when inventory allows; the motion carried by voice vote.
What's next: Staff will monitor attendance and staffing hours, look for opportunities to reallocate seasonal hours to cover winter needs if needed, and report usage tallies to the board in subsequent meetings.
