Bellefonte Borough Council Approves Ice Rink for Talleyrand Park

Get your ice skates sharpened, Bellefonte — a temporary skating rink is in the works for Talleyrand Park.

The rink has been in the minds of a group of local business owners for a few years with hopes of adding to the small-town charm of Bellefonte, representative Mark Dello Stritto said during a presentation to Borough Council members at a meeting on Monday.

The council unanimously approved the plan to move forward, with hopes of having the rink up and ready to use in December.

“It is a draw for town during the winter months, and that is what this proposal is. It is about creating this ambiance that you see in movies and on TV shows and bringing that to life in Talleyrand in the winter months when there is not a lot of activity happening in the park or downtown,” Dello Stritto said. “We are hoping this is a way for folks to come out and enjoy Bellefonte, visitors and families alike. And, also a way to engage with downtown merchants, all businesses and organizations.”

The non-refrigerated 40-by-60-foot temporary rink should last five to six years. The group of business sponsors plans to purchase the rink and donate it to Bellefonte Borough. The borough will set up and tear down the rink and store it in the offseason. There will be no concessions or skate rentals at this time.

The plan is to install the rink in the open space in front of the gazebo. A landscape company sponsor will install a temporary brick walkway to the rink over bedding sand and landscape fabric to prevent removal and damage to the grass. Four solar pathway lights will also be installed along the brick walkway. The group will also clean up and remove all debris and temporary landscaping and aerate and over-seed all areas compromised by the rink to return to its original state.

The landscape company will help provide snow removal from the rink and sidewalk. The borough will clear snow from the rink only after roadways and sidewalks throughout town are cleared.

Borough Manager Ralph Stewart said the borough insurance company did not see any major issue as long as some precautions will be taken, such as blocking off the rink if the ice melts and installing warning signs.

This story appears in the Nov. 4-10 edition of the Centre County Gazette.