Bloomington opens eight warming houses for winter season
The Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department announced Tuesday that eight of the city's nine warming houses and ice rinks are now open for the winter season, featuring new amenities like arcade games and enhanced lighting to make cold-weather recreation more inviting.
The city's Parks and Recreation Department presented an update on winter recreational facilities at the Bloomington City Council meeting on January 7, highlighting improvements made to warming houses ahead of the season. Warming houses are indoor facilities where residents can escape the cold while enjoying winter activities.
Eight of the nine warming houses are now operational, along with the city's ice rinks. The department has added several upgrades to enhance the visitor experience, including arcade games, improved interior lighting, and complimentary hot chocolate. The facilities will operate on staffing schedules that the department has made available to the public.
Bryant Park's warming house remains closed for the time being due to ongoing park improvements at that location. The closure means residents in that area will need to visit one of the other eight facilities during the winter months.
Residents looking for more details about hours, locations, and winter activities can visit the city's website at blm.mn/rinks. The Parks and Recreation Department encourages community members to take advantage of these free and low-cost winter amenities throughout the season.
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Source document
[0:00] (upbeat music)
[0:01] (kids cheerfully screaming)
[0:03] - So we're very excited to say
that we've added improvements
[0:06] to all of our warming houses,
[0:08] and we'll continue to do so here.
[0:10] We are opening eight
[0:11] of the nine warming
houses this winter season.
[0:14] Bryant Park is the ninth
one that's closed due
[0:16] to the park improvement
[0:18] and some of the enhancements
[0:19] that we've been making
at the warming houses
[0:21] are arcade games, some interior lighting
[0:25] to make it a more of a warm
[0:26] and cozy and welcoming environment
[0:28] for those who wanna come skate.
[0:29] And maybe for those who just
want to come and have fun
[0:31] and play some games while
they try to get warm
[0:33] during this cold winter season.
[0:35] And then we have hot chocolate
coming at all locations
[0:38] that have access to running
water free to the public.
[0:41] A huge shout out to our park
[0:43] and maintenance team who from start
[0:45] to finish help us get these ice rinks
[0:47] and warming houses up and running.
[0:49] It's a lot of early
mornings, a lot of work
[0:51] to get these rinks
built up with enough ice
[0:53] to make them skateable.
[0:54] And I just want to give
a quick shout out to them
[0:56] and all their hard work that
they have done, are doing
[0:58] and will continue to do
throughout this winter season.
[1:01] (plow blowing)
[1:03] Warming houses are
staffed seven days a week
[1:06] up until mid-February.
[1:09] Monday through Thursday they
are staffed 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
[1:12] On Fridays, 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
[1:15] Saturdays 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM
[1:19] and Sundays noon to 8:00 PM.
[1:21] If people want to learn more
information, they can go
[1:23] to our website at blm.mn/rinks.
[1:27] All good information on
there about our rinks
[1:29] and a lot of good information
[1:30] about our other great winter activities
[1:32] during our Winter Fete season
[1:34] through the City of Bloomington Parks
[1:35] and Recreation Department.
[1:37] We look forward to seeing
everybody's friendly face out here
[1:40] at the warming houses and at the rinks.
[1:41] And hopefully everybody
enjoys the new enhancements.
[1:44] We have a fun and long winter season ahead
[1:46] and we look forward to seeing
everybody out here on the ice.
[1:49] (skates scratching)
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