Family Day fun as skate loop in John Clarkson Park officially opens

Staff hope to keep it going through March Break

By Jim Stewart

The Town of Caledon's $500,000 Ice Skating Loop was opened officially during a Family Day ribbon-cutting ceremony at John Clarkson Park on Monday morning.

More than 150 residents attended the ceremony in optimal late-February conditions and helped themselves to free hot chocolate under the pavilion between laps around The Loop.

Life-long Caledon resident Alessandra Facciolo enjoyed skating the Loop with her daughters, Gabriella and Valentina. During her hot chocolate break, Ms. Facciolo expressed her gratitude regarding this neighborhood improvement.

“It's nice to have something like this so close to home. We can walk over to The Loop after school to work on our skating skills.  I like seeing resources being used for these purposes.  The ice conditions are great today and it's a fun Family Day for us.”  

Caledon Mayor Annette Groves praised The Loop as “multi-seasonal and versatile—skating in the winter and a jogging surface for the other three seasons.”

She was also pleased to see it being used by young residents.

“Seeing all the kids skating on the ice makes it all worth it.  This is an investment in people and a legacy we'd like to expand. It's important for government to make good use of public space,” she said. 

Mayor Groves added that, “These kinds of projects are so important for our communities.”

“We all need healthy outdoor activities and it makes me feel great to see families using the 125-meter Loop.”

Town of Caledon Facility Maintenance Workers Antonio Lucente, Danny Pereira, and Kevin Kyle were also pleased to see the fruits of their labour being used by some many skaters. They explained the capacity of the compressor and the efficacy of the new tractor that cleans the surface of The Loop.

Lucente noted that “the maximum air temperature we can continue to make ice is around 13 degrees. At that point, the compressor is working really hard to refrigerate the track.  Today, the ice is nice and hard. We hope to keep it open through the March Break.”  

Both the Maintenance Team and Mayor Groves stressed the importance of these kinds of recreational projects.

Before she went for her own inaugural lap around The Loop, Mayor Groves extolled the virtues of outdoor recreation and the optimal skating conditions on a sunny Family Day.

“These are safe places for families.  We invite everyone to skate outdoors on a beautiful day and enjoy The Loop.”