You won’t be able to lace up the skates and hit the ice at Hollinger Park this winter, but a group is working to make sure it will happen in the future.
At this week’s council meeting, the Timmins Community Park Association revealed itself as the nine-person board taking over the operations of Sk8te Hollinger, which is being renamed the Hollinger Skateway.
“The Timmins Community Park Association is a newly-formed organization aimed at promoting safe, healthy outdoor activities all-year round in the City of Timmins and surrounding areas,” said Mark Rogers, the group’s treasurer and media director.
While the group says they wanted to have the skateway open this winter, according to their presentation "weather, the park condition and manpower were issues."
For the past three years, Sk8te Hollinger has been organized by Ken Pye.
In August, however, Pye stepped away from the operation.
In response, then mayor Steve Black started garnering support to keep the rink going.
The new board was formed in August, and is registering to be a not-for-profit.
“There’s still significant planning for this association to do, however with talk in the media about no skating oval in this city, we wanted to make city council and the people of the City of Timmins aware there is a committee and it is working towards a unified goal,” Rogers said.
The members of the board are president Tina Stojkiewicz, vice president Steve Black, secretary Reilly Heffernan, Rogers, social media director Lisa Tremblay, along with directors Kevin Coutu, Peter Lawryniw, Jen Mongeon, and Brenda Torresan.
Fundraising has not yet started, but Rogers said Goldcorp is the first donor on board to help out.
“Fundraising will continue throughout the year, raising funds for the operation of the association and events,” said Heffernan.
Coun. Michelle Boileau thanked the association for stepping up.
“We were talking about community pride, this is the perfect example of community pride. We want to see more happening in our community parks, why not form a group that could kind of lead it all,” she said, asking the group what support it needs from the city.
Heffernan said the number one thing is being able to use the park.
“Going forward there was work being done in that park and we would want to make sure that it’s available for us once all that work’s done in the summer so that we could move in for the winter and lay down the ice and bring back the skating oval or figure eight that the community has enjoyed over the past couple of years,” he said.
The Zambonis previously used to resurface Sk8te Hollinger were also brought up.
After the meeting, Pye said the original Sk8te Hollinger group has two Zambonis.
“The Zambonis were bought prior to the formation of the non-profit and do not belong to the non-profit,” Pye told TimminsToday.
He said the first one he purchased, and the second was partially bought through donations and he paid the balance.
Pye said he’s called the people who donated to the second machine to find out what they’d like to happen to it and they've said to keep it for when he builds a new oval.
After pulling out of the Hollinger Park operation, Pye said he’s been leasing a property on Riverside Drive next to the Mattagami River where GameOn ball hockey used to operate.
His goal was to create a skating oval there this winter, but the property needs to be re-zoned.
“It was too late and (the city) required building permits and all kinds of electrical permits to set up,” he said.
Next winter, he wants to have a rink down at ‘the pav’ and is working on getting a site plan and other requirements rolling to bring to council.
“It will be in place before fall,” he said.
With no outdoor skating ovals this winter, the Timmins Community Park Association is hoping to hold a two-day free youth hockey tournament at Roy Nicholson Park.
“The group will be open to suggestions for other events,” Rogers said.
The association’s website is under construction. The group can be reached at [email protected].
