Ask The City – Will There Ever Be Ice Skating in Labonte Park Again?

Your Question:

A few years back there was ice skating in LaBonte Park and our family absolutely loved to go skate there on the weekends. I noticed that there is a square area shoveled off on the lake the other day. Will there be skating this year on the lake or ever again?

The City's Answer:

The question is correct, the programmed skating on LaBonte Lake was eliminated a number of years ago, actually prior to the economic downturn and any subsequent budget reductions. The primary reason for closing the ice skating program on LaBonte lake was due to the significant buildup of aquatic plants that ended up being frozen in the ice thereby making the ice unstable, soft and unsafe for public skating. That being said, we have continued to work on cleaning up the water quality of the lake and will continue to do so, but the primary answer to the water quality issue is dredging the lake, which is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2016-17 in the CIP program.

Citizens can still shovel off areas of the lake that have clear ice and skate at their own risk, but the “keep off the ice” signs will remain around the lake as we cannot insure the safety of the ice thickness or quality.

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