T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY — The downtown ice rink at the southwest intersection of Center and Main streets is closed for the remainder of the season due to an unforeseen issue, which City of Marshalltown Recreation Supervisor Jennifer Hart explained was due to the tarp lining the rink being cut. As a result, Parks and Rec staff cannot safely refill the rink with water.

A social media post from the Marshalltown Parks and Recreation Department last week informed the public that the downtown ice rink at the southwest intersection of Center and Main streets would be closed for the remainder of the season due to “unforeseen circumstances” but did not go into any further detail. At the beginning of Monday night’s city council meeting, Recreation Supervisor Jennifer Hart provided an explanation to city officials and the general public.

“This year, we’re going through some bumps in the road. This is our second year having the skating rink open, so when we filled the skating rink, the tarp that was inside — the liner — has cut, went taut,” she said. “And so when the ice started to melt after kids had been on it and the skates had hit the side, it cut the lining of the skate rink.”

As a result, when the ice started to melt, leakage occurred, and now, water can’t be safely put back into it and held inside as needed. Thus, the rink must be closed for the remainder of the season.

“We’re troubleshooting some ideas for some kickboards and things like that to go along the edge so that the skates don’t cut the liner in the future,” Hart said. “I wanted to give that clarification.”

Compared to the first season it was open, she added, the number of skate rentals jumped from 60 to 113, and the rink was open 20 days this year as opposed to just six last year. It was launched as a partnership between the Iowa Wild minor league hockey team and MARSHALLTOWN Company, with the Parks and Rec department handling general maintenance and skate rentals.

During a subsequent interview, Hart elaborated further on the situation, reiterating that the liner “went taut,” meaning it became tightly drawn or stretched.

“When (skaters’) toes would hit the liner — and it could be the toes of the skate or just the toe of the boot — the more times that that kept hitting it, and it was already taut, it sliced it,” she said. “And so then when it thawed, then it started to leak, and the liner went down and then it froze again. And so now the liner’s stuck down there, and there’s no way to bring it back up.”

Parks and Rec staff noticed it when temperatures increased to around 40 degrees last month and the ice was starting to thaw. Unfortunately, Hart added, they did not have time to rectify it.

“What we would have to do is we would have to drain it and put a whole new liner in it and refill it, which is not gonna happen this year,” she said. “But when we fill the ice rink next year, we’re gonna fill it in layers, so we’ll fill a small amount so it can slowly go out towards edges so they’re not as taut. We’re also going to probably be installing some kickboards that you see more when there’s hockey being played. And we weren’t gonna be playing hockey on them, so we weren’t gonna put those on there. But now we are to protect the liner.”

A liner, according to Hart, only cost between $150 and $200 annually, and the department purchased a walk behind “mini zamboni” to clear the ice. And despite the setback, she has been encouraged by the rink’s overall increase in popularity.

“I think a lot of people are utilizing it more and using it and things, and it’s been a good addition to Marshalltown,” she said.

Because the property where the rink is currently located is for sale by the city, another lingering question is whether it will have a long-term home when it sells. Hart did provide assurance, however, that since they have the boards, it will be moved somewhere else regardless of what happens, possibly even within a city park.

“It’s nobody’s fault that it got ripped, and we’re not blaming anybody. It’s just a learning process, and we’re all learning as we go every year,” she said. “We’ll just keep in mind that next year, we’ll hope for 25 to 30 days of (skating).”