Peru council eyes shell for Washington Park ice rink, donor offers Zamboni to maintain ice

Mayor Scott Harl traveled to Evergreen Park to look at its shell

The Bloomington Thunder Youth Hockey team practices at the ice rink in Peru on Saturday January 9th.

After an incident involving an individual putting a shovel through the middle of the ice skating rink at Washington Park left it closed for six days, Peru officials discussed improvement and maintenance options for the rink.

Mayor Scott Harl said he traveled to Evergreen Park near Chicago on Tuesday to speak with its recreation department about the shell it has over its ice rink.

The proposed standing structure over the Washington Park rink would have open sides and would help protect ice from falling snow. The structure would be high enough to allow residents to be able to continue to play basketball on the courts during the summer months.

Harl also mentioned Parks, Recreations and Special Events Director Adam Thorson has a pledge from a donor willing to foot the bill for a Zamboni machine for the public rink.

“It’s not on its way yet but it’s pretty close to being on its way,” Harl said. “We had somebody come in and say ‘I’ll buy a Zamboni if you want it.’ That’s amazing.”

The Zamboni would help maintain the ice and speed up the time required to ensure the rink is safe for use.

By the request of Alderman Mike Sapienza, Thorson also will look into parking lot improvements for the rink, as the melting snow and ice has caused the lot to become muddy in certain areas.