Brown Street Park Skating Rink Update #3

Brown Street Park wasn’t been totally at rest this winter; for the first time we put together a skating rink for everyone to enjoy. The bad news is that we got a late start in the season and there were technical challenges and not enough sustained cold weather to allow skating.  The good news is that we learned a lot about putting a rink together and have a tremendous corps of volunteers who will be ready to install the rink in the winter 2011-12 skating season.

 We want to thank all the following Park Penguin Sponsors who generously supported construction of the rink!

The Emperor Penguins $300-500

• The Abby Stranahan and David Ward Family
• Jim Larkin and Graphic Innovations for our signage
• A+ Automotive Repair and Snow removal
• Site Specific, LLC

The King Penguins $50-100

• Polly Walker
• Maria Goncalves and Joe Miller Family
• Patricia Bacon and Family
• The Pedro Dal Bo and Anna Aizer Family
• Leah and Rob Murphy

The Adelie Penguins $10-30

• Elyse Rotundo
• Kate Bowden
• Sheila Craig
• Justin Boyan and Amy Greenwald
• Rachel Atlas and Family
• Jen Carpenter
• Julia Bush
• Barbara Weindling
• Kimberly Worrell
• Kate Lohman
• Joe and Stacy Paradise
• Sandra & Jeff Smith
• Kara Kelly and Family
• Rachel Atlas and Venditta Family

Brown Street Park Skating Rink Update #2

We are so thrilled with all the Penguin Sponsors (see website www.friendsofbrownstreetpark.org) that have contributed to the Brown Street Park Ice Skating Rink as well as our tireless corps of volunteers (Pedro Dal Bo, Mike Paradiso, Herman Vandenburgh, Matthew Hruska, Peter Crump and Jim Intinarelli From Site Specific, Sheila Craig, John Doerr, Brad Miller, Allen Copp, Lt Picozzi and the North Main Street Fire Station crew and the Providence Parks Department).

This has been a very difficult winter to start an ice rink, but we keep trying. The good news is that the rink materials have been purchased or donated, and we have learned a lot about making skateable ice in Rhode Island. Therefore, an install in November 2011 will be a relatively simple one. 80% of our work this year (every weekend since January 14 when we were given approval to install the rink), has been dedicated to snow removal or prepping the ground to make it level. Our attempts last week to fill the rink during a period of below freezing weather (we need 5 consecutive nights) was thwarted by monstrous winds that rendered our waterproof membrane unsealable. We are waiting to try again with some new technology (super sticky marine tape) as soon as temperatures plummet. Stay tuned.

Thanks for your patience, Wendy and Friends of Brown Street Park

Brown Street Park Skating Rink Update #1

Dear Penguin Team,

Okay..so it is not going to get as cold as we need on Sunday to freeze the water…but the frame is in and the next steps are relatively simple… put the liner in and then water, a few layers at a time with the Fire Department. The risk of putting the liner in without a quick freeze is that the liner is exposed and can be damaged by dogs, or anything else running on it. So the plan of the moment is to put the liner in Tuesday (if the weather permits) and hopefully be skating by Wednesday night (before the next storm..ekes). So thanks for your patience, and your flexibility. I will keep you posted on what time we will be out there on Tuesday (should take less than a couple of hours). Thanks, 

Wendy

WINTER FBSP NEWS UPDATE! ICE SKATING AT BROWN STREET PARK

WINTER FBSP NEWS UPDATE! ICE SKATING AT BROWN STREET PARK

We thought it was going to be a quiet winter at Brown Street Park, but we just received the okay from the Providence Parks Department to build a temporary Outdoor Ice Skating Rink (near the community garden). We are so excited to have sledding and skating at BSP. We need your help. We are asking families that like the idea to help sponsor therink in the range of $10.00-$20.00 (If you haven't made a tax deductible donation to FBSP lately, please consider making one for this rink). We also need volunteers to help build the rink on an afternoon to be scheduled, volunteer to maintain, and to remove in early March.

Let Wendy know what you can do wendy@friendsofbrownstreetpark.org by Monday, January 17 as we would like to have the rink built and operational by January 23rd.

• Donate (please let us know what amount you would like to contribute)
• Help build (requires one afternoon to lay the frame and lay the waterproof membrane
• Maintain (we need volunteers to clear the ice after sno or use our homemade Zamboni to clear the ice when it gets choppy)
• Remove the Rink in early March (A couple of hours to remove adn store until next winter