Plans for a seasonal outdoor ice-skating rink in Reading are moving forward.
City Council recently approved two contracts totaling $319,700 to begin construction of the rink next to the Third and Spruce Recreation Center.
Doug Lamb Construction, Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, was awarded a $175,800 contract for concrete work and HB Frazer Co., Spring Township, was awarded a $143,900 contract for electric work.
The 60-by-100-foot rink will be atop an 80-by-120-foot concrete pad with space for spectators. The pad and electrical infrastructure will be permanent and can accommodate other recreational uses in warmer months.
City Council has approved two contracts for building an outdoor ice skating rink at the Third and Spruce Recreation Center on property nearer to the intersection of South Second Street and Riverfront Drive. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
Officials envision using the rink for ice skating from December through February, depending on the weather. The site could host roller skating, movies or other recreational activities during the off-season.
The rec center site was chosen for its accessibility, space and proximity to the 480-volt electric service required to power rink refrigeration systems, Jamar Kelly, city finance and deputy managing director and acting director of community development, said during a council committee of the whole meeting.
“The location that we have coalesced on and has the mayor’s support and approval is outside of the baseball field range at Third and Spruce,” Kelly said. “We’ve measured the 275 feet that are needed to account for home-run baseball, and so we’re going to be just outside that range.”
To accommodate dual use with the adjacent baseball field, safety measures are being built into the design, he said.
“We are looking into installing a high fence in the backfield to make sure that there’s no chance that a fly ball hits a kid that’s roller skating in the summertime,” Kelly said.
Kelly said Met-Ed is preparing a proposal to extend electric service from Third and Pine streets to Second and Riverfront streets, closer to the spot where the rink will sit. That work is expected to cost no more than $50,000 and will be covered by the remaining balance of a $500,000 capital improvement budget earmarked for the project, he said.
Electric work at the site will also include 200 amp, 110-volt service for vendors and decorative string lighting, part of a broader plan to turn the rink into a family attraction.
“We’re looking to do an outdoor winter wonderland that is a centralized destination here in Reading for the foreseeable future,” Kelly said.
Discussions about who will operate the rink are ongoing. Kelly said the city plans to contract with an outside operator for the first few seasons, with the long-term goal of transferring programming duties to the Reading Recreation Commission.
“Our firm belief is, in the initial first year, possibly the first three years, that we need to contract that,” Kelly said. “Let the rec (department) get some experience with how to operate it before we say, ‘Hey, here, please operate this,’” he said.
The city expects to recoup some operational costs through sponsorships and modest user fees.
“We do expect there to be some fee structure as well as heavy solicitation of sponsorships,” Kelly said.
Plans for the rink have been years in the making, he noted. The city hosted indoor skating in partnership with Santander Arena in 2022 and 2023. A 2024 plan to move outside was shelved due to location challenges.
While construction is expected to take about four months, the schedule may vary depending on the weather. City leaders hope to open the rink for the 2025 winter season.