Ice arena to reopen Sept. 2

Crews working to reform ice after Wears Creek flood

Doug McBride looks over his shoulders to keep an eye on the paint mixture being propelled from the spray jets behind him. In front of him, Joe Schulte and Austin Kliethermes carry the hose containing the paint. There are three layers of paint on top of several layers of ice, and several more layers of water will be sprayed on top to let freeze. Jefferson City Parks and Recreation staff has been busy working to clean the Washington Park Ice Arena after recent flash flooding caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage.
Doug McBride looks over his shoulders to keep an eye on the paint mixture being propelled from the spray jets behind him. In front of him, Joe Schulte and Austin Kliethermes carry the hose containing the paint. There are three layers of paint on top of several layers of ice, and several more layers of water will be sprayed on top to let freeze. Jefferson City Parks and Recreation staff has been busy working to clean the Washington Park Ice Arena after recent flash flooding caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage.

Roughly one month after floodwater melted ice and left debris all over, the Washington Park Ice Arena should be ready to re-open.

Heavy rains at the end of July and beginning of August led to flash flooding in Wears Creek, causing the arena, which had opened for the season only a week prior, to close down for clean-up.

JJ Gates, park resources and forestry division director, said the ice-making process began earlier this week with the expectation of re-opening the ice arena Sept. 2. Gates said the entire arena won't actually be completed by that time, as crews still will be working on things like flooring.

"But we can get skaters on and off the ice," Gates said. "We're hoping to get the skaters out on the ice with temporary flooring."

The concession stand for the fields at Washington Park likely won't be able to open this fall as water came in unexpectedly high in the stand, damaging most of the equipment, which now will need to be replaced.

"When you live in a flood plain, you kind of take that chance," Gates said, noting all the equipment had been placed as high as possible. "Water hasn't been that high in a very long time."

The rest of the park, Gates said, has otherwise been cleaned up and addressed, including the skate park and the horseshoe pits.

"Most everything else in the park is back to normal," Gates said.