Let’s put aside the fact that while the Dallas Business Journal wrote a piece about the possibility of this ice rink yesterday, our Christine Perez mentioned it two weeks ago. That: aside.
There are some logistical nightmares that arise with this plan.
1. Brought up by Tim in the comments of Christine’s piece: “Even with a master’s from MIT, [Dallas Stars executive vice president of business operations and development Jason] Farris won’t be able keep a decent sheet of ice going in Klyde Warren. Thursday’s high will be 73 degrees.”
2. The park’s lawns are already full every weekend day with people. I’ve been hit with multiple soccer balls. Where will that traffic go when an ice rink is plugging up all the green space?
3. Will the rink rent skates? If the answer to that is yes, then they’ll need to set up a kiosk (more space). If the answer is no, what percentage of your average Klyde Warren-goers owns ice skates? Ten? Fifteen percent, tops?
4. The park has already had to close parts of its “Ginsburg Family Great Lawn” due to soggy grass at least once. That issue gets blown through the roof once thousands of gallons of water are attempting to freeze (see nightmare #1).
5. Weight. From our special issue on Klyde Warren Park:
One unusual issue to contend with: weight. Built on a deck that hovers above thousands of passing cars, every pound needed to be accounted for. If a Shumard’s oak–park president Mark Banta’s favorite, due to its fall color–is dropped into one site, its eventual, full-grown weight needed to be distributed. That might mean moving a water feature, or pathway, or placing lightweight grasses nearby.
The idea of an ice rink is nice, but probably unrealistic. Then again, I hope I’m wrong. I’d like the ability to school you all in some hockey.
