The Mayor's Mind (or, at least, a piece of it): Have an ice day: this year's edition of the municipal skating rink

If you've lived around here for awhile you're aware that Chetek hasn't had a municipal ice skating rink since the days they used to flood the field at the corner of Morrison and Eighth behind Roselawn Elementary. When that went away you had to drive to Rice Lake or take a shovel out onto the Chain and clear away the snow if you wanted to get your skating in.

But toward the end of 2024, inspired by how extravagantly local folks were giving toward the future Sports Complex (now complete), the Parks & Beach committee brought to the council a proposal to build a rink on the infield of Denny Overby Field. Given the board of the former Youth Center that used to meet on Knapp Street donated the money for the materials we needed, the council was only too happy to approve.

We got the green-light for the project in mid-December 2024 but by the time the materials arrived and the rink assembled it was nearly February 2025. Still we probably got about six weeks of ice before the weather warmed and the liner had to be wrapped up and stored for this year. Those of us on Parks & Beach, however, considered it a “dry-run” for the 2025-26 season. Speaking only for myself we got a lot of “attaboys and girls” from folks appreciative of the fact we were attempting to add something to the landscape of the city for those who don't ski or snowmobile.

Last year's site

By day

By night

She was pretty soupy

In the spring we did get a few complaints from some of the parents of the girls on the C-WHS softball team. They felt that all that melting water made Denny Overby Field far soupier than normal and inhibited it from drying out in time for the season opener. They probably were right but the fickleness of spring weather in these parts affects all our athletic fields use, the track included.

New season, new location

So this year, we are at a new location: 210 Water Street, the site of the former municipal basketball court right behind Denny Overby Field. According to Josh Eby, a member of Parks & Beach who took point on this project last year and this, the new location has actually given us more square footage than last year. At our request, Excel Energy installed a large spotlight was placed on the light pole across the street from the rink giving good illumination for skating at night. The Lions Club built and donated four 8 foot benches for skaters to sit down upon to either lace up their skates or take a breather. And just before Christmas the warming house showed up courtesy of funds donated by the former youth center. Benches have already been placed within and rubber mats between the shack and the rink have been laid down.

The new spotlight installed by Excel Engery

Warming shack arrives
(submitted photo)

Benches courtesy of the Chetek Lion's Club
(submitted photo)

According to City Clerk Mark Eby, all total thus far (2025-26) $10,632.50 for this project came from the former youth center, $1,085 in private donations not including the donations in kind that have come from the Lions Club for the benches (approximately $200 in materials) as well as to Britt Hodgson from Jerry's Tree Service and Brad and Zach Ingram from Blackjack Towing & Repair who took it in hand to deliver the warming house which was purchased from Chetek Sheds and Buildings at the The Pine Lodge. Talk about many hands making light work!

Just this week all the electrics were installed inside the shack as well as the heater courtesy of TNC Electric. The ground is frozen so electricity probably won't be run to the shack until later this year. In the short term, everything will run off a battery. Next on the agenda is to spray foam the building in order for it to retain heat.

It's important to remember that all the labor thus far has been done by volunteers. Donations are still being received for the ice rink at City Hall. Future monies will be put toward adding additional lighting and other appropriate amenities for the rink.

While the Sports Complex was a much more involved project, the spirit of this endeavor is the same: generosity fueled by a sincere desire to make this town we love an even better place to live. Thank you to all have contributed thus far and for the gently used skates that have begun to show up at the warming shack. To borrow a cheesy metaphor from the skating world, have an ice day!