This afternoon, Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation Chairman Jody Grant and former Dallas Stars owner Norman Green gathered at Klyde Warren Park to discuss details of the park’s highly anticipated ice rink debuting this fall.
The idea behind the synthetic ice rink was to create a public attraction for people whether it’s warm or cold, Grant explained. He credits the “creativity of people like Norman Green” for the project’s growth.
Green, who’s been in the hockey business for over 20 years, asserted that the synthetic ice is easy to maintain and designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. Though Dallas has experienced an unusually mild winter this year, “we can’t count on that forever,” Grant pointed out.
The rink is expected to be open by Nov. 1, and stay open until the following February or March. At about 50 feet by 100 feet, it will be located right in front of the children’s park, near the park’s border with St. Paul Street.
Foodies, expect to find your favorite food trucks to move to the opposite end of the park, to help with crowd and pedestrian flow; one of Grant’s goals is to evenly distribute park-goers throughout the space, which he hopes to achieve by reorienting some of the park’s activities. These park people, who consist of natives and tourists alike, can also anticipate a new crowd: Dallas Stars players.
“I must mention, the Dallas Stars are very much supportive of this,” Green said. Getting kids onto the ice is a priority, he explained, adding that the Stars have always been “eager to help develop youngsters.”
“When we came here in ‘93 with the hockey team, there was one sheet of ice. Now, there are 25,” stated Green, who, along with his wife Kelly, is funding the expenditures. “This rink has been very, very successful in other places, and I suspect that in this phenomenal location, and this park, it will be very well received.”
Erica Robbie is a D Magazine intern.
