WESTFIELD — Residents of Westfield who love to ice skate, it’s time to lace up.
A new ice-skating ribbon opened at Grand Junction Plaza on Saturday. The rink will be open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through Jan. 13.
Westfield Parks & Recreation Superintendent Chris McConnell says unlike other ice rinks, Westfield’s Ice Ribbon uses synthetic ice made by Glice.
According to McConnell, skaters will feel just like they are on real ice, but the synthetic rink is more environmentally friendly, doesn’t use electricity or water and is not weather dependent.
“Glice gave us a rough estimate that a traditional rink this size would use the equivalent energy that 800 homes would use in a month, so it is absolutely more cost effective and environmentally friendly to use synthetic ice,” McConnell said. “And on warm days you can still come out and skate.”
Because there’s more friction on synthetic ice than on a traditional ice rink, McConnell says it is much better for those who are new to skating.
“They can get the hang of it a lot easier and when they fall down, they don’t get wet or cold because it’s like any other hard flooring, just a little slicker,” McConnell said.
The Ice Ribbon is a project that has been in the works by Westfield Parks & Recreation for over two years now.
Tickets for the Ice Ribbon are $10 for children and $12 for adults, with this price including skate rentals.
For more information, click here.
