Woodbury Parks Department Operates Year-Round Colby Lake Rink
The Woodbury Parks Department operates the Colby Lake Rink as a dual-purpose facility that converts seasonally between pickleball courts and a hockey rink, according to a presentation at the April 25 City Council meeting.
The facility transitions from pickleball to hockey each fall based on weather conditions, with staff monitoring temperatures to determine optimal conversion timing. The Parks Department extends the pickleball season as long as possible before beginning winter preparations, according to the presentation.
The conversion process requires a crew of six employees approximately three hours to complete. Staff remove fencing, pickleball nets, benches and other court accessories in preparation for winter flooding. All equipment sleeves are capped to create a flat surface for ice formation.
The spring transition back to pickleball courts begins after natural ice melting occurs. Staff reinstall poles into sleeves and replace pickleball nets to restore the courts for warm-weather use. The facility includes lighting that extends playing hours into evening.
The Parks Department will continue monitoring weather conditions on an ongoing seasonal basis to determine conversion timing and extend the pickleball season as long as possible each fall before the hockey season begins.
This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.
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Seasonal Recreation Amenity Conversion
▸Source Document
[0:08] We were super
excited for the opportunity
[0:10] to try to expand an amenity
that has typically been
[0:14] a winter activity and convert it
to a year round amenity.
[0:20] So typically in the fall,
we keep an eye and monitor
[0:23] the weather to determine
what the best time
[0:25] would be for us to convert
from pickleball to hockey.
[0:29] Typically,
we try to push the season out
[0:32] as far as we can
for the pickleball players.
[0:34] And the process is we come in
with a crew of employees
[0:37] to remove all of the fencing,
[0:40] all the pickleball
nets, the benches
[0:42] and any other accessories
that are on the court
[0:45] in preparation for winter
maintenance activities.
[0:48] And we do
[0:50] cap everything to prevent water
from going into those sleeves.
[0:53] So it's a flat surface.
We're ready for flooding.
[0:58] When we transition
back, weather plays a big part.
[1:00] We have to wait for Mother
Nature to melt the ice.
[1:03] Then the installation
process begins.
[1:06] It takes about two and a half
or three hours
[1:08] with a crew
of about six employees
[1:11] to convert from our hockey rink
back to our pickleball courts.
[1:15] We install the poles
[1:17] back into the sleeves
as well as the pickleball nets.
[1:20] Everything's
put back into place,
[1:22] and we're ready
for the Pickleballers
[1:24] to come and enjoy
another fun season.
[1:28] I think
[1:29] it's been a really well
received process.
[1:31] I think the users
are extremely excited.
[1:34] They love the light amenity
that is provided
[1:37] to extend the game of pickleball
into the evening hours.
[1:41] Our goal is to
[1:43] extend the pickleball season
as long as possible,
[1:46] and then we get to have
a really fun
[1:48] hockey season and pleasure
skating for other park users,
[1:51] and then we'll turn it
all back around again
[1:53] and do the same thing
for the pickleball users.
This story was created by artificial intelligence (a large language model) based on the proceedings captured in the video below.
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