If you noticed Town staff out clearing the ice on Cann Lake, don’t lace up your skates just yet.
The extreme cold weather of late has had one positive effect: the pond is freezing deep enough that it could support a skating rink this winter. The popular outdoor rink remained closed in both 2016 and 2017 due to unsafe conditions. That’s not likely to be a concern this year, but there’s still no guarantee the rink will open any time soon.
Crews cleared snow from the surface from the lake this week and said that at least 10 inches of ice have formed so far. With the insulating snow removed and extreme cold continuing through the weekend, that will increase the depth of the ice.
“We want to get some good, safe ice and then we can start looking at flooding,” said Steve Hernen, the Town’s Director of Operations and Protective Services.
But that can only happen if Mother Nature cooperates, noted Hernen. “We have not had (as much) snow, we’re just getting the cold,” said Hernen, “so we’ve been able to free up some staff (to start work on the rink). If we get more snow, our priority is snow.” And that means crews will get pulled away to other tasks.
There’s no timeline yet for when the rink might open, so stay tuned.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free newsletter here.
I have missed this Huntsville gem. The first time I skated on Cann Lake I was filled with child delight to be skating outside at such a beautiful location. Keeping my fingers crossed!