A number of concerned business owners and residents wrote to Harrison Hot Springs council to support the Starlight Skating Rink.
The series of letters was made public with the most recent council agenda, and the letters come more than three months after councillors voted 3 to 1 (Coun. Leo Facio opposed) to cancel future projects associated with the skating rink and to determine if the rink could be sold.
The letters came from the Harrison Lake Hotel, Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa, Tourism Harrison, Blue Dandelion Stores, B.C. Sportfishing Group, Muddy Waters Café and Canwest Art Gallery on the Lake. Many of the letters shared similar wording but all stressed the importance of the rink for the “shoulder season,” meaning the time between peak and off-seasons related to tourism.
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During a Committee of the Whole meeting in July, council received a report from village staff detailing the rink’s financial status. Starlight Skating Rink lost about $17,000 last season, bringing in $1,400 in revenue. Setup and takedown make up a bulk of the expenses at $14,000. It was Wood who moved to cancel future projects for the rink and to see if it could be sold.
The rink was well-received during its debut in the 2019-2020 season, but it could not operate in the two subsequent seasons due to COVID-19 restrictions. This year’s poor turnout was attributed to difficult weather conditions and staffing challenges.
The letters connected the rink to one of the village’s biggest winter events, Lights by the Lake. Lights by the Lake showcases a number of brilliant holiday light displays along the shores of Harrison Lake; many of them bear the village’s iconic Sasquatch theme.
“The Starlight Skating Rink has become an anchor for the Lights by the Lake, not only for the beautiful lighting it provides but also by providing the only safe outdoor skating experience from here to Vancouver,” the letters read.
RELATED: 2021-22 Starlight Rink skating season cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions
Coun. John Allen proposed that businesses be invited to lease the rink and form a business partnership with the village to ensure it still operates during the shoulder season.
“I think there’s a potential for this to work,” Allen said. “I think that we have a business community in Harrison Hot Springs who have all the skills to organize it, get it up and running, market it and promote it.”
The rink could not be sold as it was purchased through Resort Municipality Initiative funds. However, village staff indicated that there may not be restrictions preventing the village from leasing or renting out the rink and related equipment.
Wood disagreed with the proposal, saying rink-related expenses would be better served working toward an alternative evacuation route north of the village.
We have half a dozen letters from some community businesses that say they want to save the rink,” Wood said. “The decision was made to eliminate the rink. If we can’t sell it, we can’t sell it. I’m tired that we keep going around in circles on this, and I think that the money would be much more appropriately spent on this evacuation route.”
Allen’s motion ultimately failed. Wood moved that the funding to be used for the rink and related amenities be redirected to the evacuation route, but the motion failed without a seconder.