Things are about to get even better at the outdoor skating rink at River Mill Park this winter!
Kelly Haywood, Executive Director of the Huntsville Municipal Accommodation Tax Association (HMATA), was before Huntsville Council at its July 22 meeting with some bright news.
She was seeking permission to proceed with a plan to install an Eclipse Light canopy in the area from the bandshell to the edge of the park, noting that it would result in an improvement to the outdoor skating rink experience. Haywood also noted that a temporary refrigeration unit would be made available to ensure the consistency of the ice on warmer winter days.
She asked for permission to leave the lights up all year. She said they could be used for other venues and will be located high up on posts and out of the way. If there were to be some sort of aerial function, then the lights could be removed.
Haywood said all costs would be covered save for a small amount of power usage for the LED lights she hoped the municipality would cover. She noted that the lights associated with the rink would be on for short periods of time and automatically shut off at 10 p.m.
Deputy Mayor Dan Armous said better illumination for the area would be good. He said he found the grounds dark during Nuit Blanche North last weekend.
Council approved the request and asked staff to report back on the idea of leaving the lights up year-round.
The installation of the lights is planned for November around the first frost, said Haywood.
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Hopefully the auto timers will operate better than the ones at the Ball park on Hwy 11.
I came past the other evening at 01:30 AM, and the fields had all the lights still on.