Lehi city council member Paul Hancock said the rink will be open to all and is designed for recreational purposes by families and individuals living in the community and surrounding areas.

The Lehi City Council approved a contract with Ice America to build the rink for $250,000, which includes skate rentals, the ice and everything needed to skate except for bleachers, lighting and a sound system.

“This is really a collaborative effort between us and special events. We’re trying to utilize our parks after the season is over and make something fun out of it,” said Stephen Marchbanks, parks and facilities manager for Lehi City.

To minimize the impact on the park grass, the rink is expected to be constructed on the concrete area between the playground and the current snack stand. This will make it easier to set up in November and take down in time for baseball season, Marchbanks said.

Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald

While it is anticipated the rink will be on that concrete space, now that the contract is approved, Ice America will do a consultation to determine the exact best location within the park. Hancock gave the public two reasons the ice rink will be useful for Lehi City.

“One is that it provides a recreational option that we don’t have. Two, it takes a facility that would otherwise be essentially dormant during the winter, and allows us to still leverage it in some capacity,” Hancock said.

This ice skating rink is designed for any type of weather. Some of the council members were concerned that the rink would be inaccessible on hot days, but Marchbanks assured them it will not be weather dependent.

The contract with Ice America is a one-time contract for this winter. However, Hancock said depending how this first year goes — in terms of how the rink is received by the community — will determine if it becomes a regular part of the park during the winter.

“I think it’ll be a fun project and hopefully it’s well received and it’s something that we can continue to do,” Hancock said.

The rink will be staffed regularly by city employees, likely from the parks department. There are still small details to be decided, such as the hours of operation, possible concessions and the price to enter the rink and rent skates, but the rink will be open come November.