[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

I don't know if it has ever been considered but in a town of 130,000 people there would probably be enough to justify something modest. Then again, being from Minnesota, one of the major reasons for the move was to get AWAY from ice . Even though The Villages, as far as I know, has no rinks, there are rinks in adjacent areas: Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, etc.

One of the major concerns for such a facility in The Villages would be maintenance. The ice needs to be maintained at a constant temperature as different temperatures gives the ice different characteristics: Ice maintained at 0 degrees Fahrenheit vs. ice maintained at, say, +20 degrees Fahrenheit, even though both are "ice" and both look the same, will have different properties that affect the skating. Plus, not only the temperature but the humidity inside the building must be strictly controlled.

Then there is the maintenance of the surface, which must be leveled and refrozen periodically. Skating chews up the surface pretty good. Anyone who has watched pro hockey knows that the ice is resurfaced (washed, shaved and re-surfaced) between periods of the game by a "Zamboni", a big lumbering machine that can cost upwards of $200,000 and which itself must be regularly maintained. A more modest rink would require something smaller and cheaper: I've seen 'em up in Minnesota where the operator stands on a ramp on the back of the machine and guides it over the ice. So...bottom line...a properly maintained ice rink can cost multiples of what, say, a similarly-sized gym would cost for maintenance.

I'd like to see one here though. It has been some years since I've been on skates but it is a fun way to get some exercise.

Mmm, about same as one golf course