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Outdoor skating rinks and warming houses

2011 - 2012 skating season information

Weather line: 952-563-8878, option 3

Skating update

February 2: Warming houses closed

Due to the warm weather and poor outdoor skating rink ice conditions, we are closing the warming houses until further notice.
Also due to lack of participation we have decided to discontinue activities in the warming houses for this season.

Call our Weather Line at 952-563-8878, option 3, for daily updates.

Use the link at the top of this page to sign up for e-mail notifications about outdoor ice, or follow our warming house updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Small boy and teen get ready to hit the puck.

Facing off at the rink.

Dates and hours
Locations and features
Warming house hours
Making Ice video
Important information about inclement weather

Parks and Recreation is operating 15 outdoor ice skating sites this winter. During rink hours, all facilities will be lighted except for Logan Playlot. Some sites are supervised by a Parks and Recreation employee during public skating hours.

No hockey or broomball games are allowed on the general skating rinks unless otherwise specified. Injuries and other incidents must be reported to the Rink Attendant immediately.

Rinks may be rented. Please call Parks and Recreation for more information.

The Bloomington Ice Garden provides indoor skating programs and opportunities.

Dates and hours

Dates: December 17, 2011 - February 20, 2012.
Read about rink closures due to inclement weather.
Regular rink hours:
- 4 - 9 p.m. Weekdays.
- 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. Weekends and school release days.
- 2 p.m. - 7 p.m. Holidays.
- Noon - 5 p.m. Super Bowl Sunday (February 5th).
Warming house hours, which vary by day and location, are listed below. Hours are extended on school release days (December 23, 26 - 30, January 2, 17).

Locations and features

Park		Address	Warming house schedule	Rink features
Park		Address	Warming house schedule	Gen'l	Hockey	Floodlights
1	Brookside	10000 Xerxes Ave.	Daily	X	X	X
2	Bryant	1001 W. 85th St.	Weekends, School Release Days (SRDs), holidays	X	X	X
3	Brye	10500 Xavier Ave.	Weekends, SRDs, holidays	X	X	X
4	Haeg	8301 Penn Ave. S.	Not staffed	X	X	X
5	Kelly	185 E. 102nd St.	Not staffed	X	X	X
6	Logan	1900 W. 91st St.	Not staffed	X
7	Oak Grove	1301 W. 104th St.	Weekends, SRDs, holidays	X	X	X
8	Poplar Bridge	4600 W. 85th St.	Weekends, SRDs, holidays	X	X	X
9	Ridgeview	6001 W. 94th St.	Not staffed	X	X	X
10	Running	9501 12th Ave. S.	Daily	X	2X	X
11	Southglen	10701 Rich Road	Not staffed	X	X	X
12	Southwood	4800 Terracewood Dr.	Not staffed	X	X	X
13	Sunrise	9401 Blgtn. Ferry Rd.	Daily	X	X	X
14	Tarnhill	9650 Little Road	Not staffed	X	X	X
15	Westwood	3490 W. 109th St.	Daily	X	2X	X

Warming house hours

	Regular hours	School release days	Holiday hours
Dates	Dec. 17 - 22 Jan. 3 - 15, 18 - 31 Feb. 1 - 4, 6 - 17	Dec. 23, 26 - 30 Jan. 2, 17	Dec. 24, 25 Jan. 1, 16 Feb. 20 *Super Bowl Sunday - Feb. 5,12 - 5 p.m.
Weekdays	4 - 9 p.m.	2 - 9 p.m.	2 - 7 p.m.
Weekends	2 - 9 p.m.	2 - 9 p.m.	2 - 7 p.m.
Notes	Warming houses are kept locked except when staff are present. Outdoor benches are always available for changing into and out of skates. Rink locations that are listed as "not staffed" may be staffed by volunteers during the season. Volunteer schedules will be posted at sites.

Making Ice video

Outdoor ice sheets are created using Bloomington's water trucks. The trucks work much faster than conventional flooding with a high-volume hose. When temperatures fall low enough, City crews work to build an ice sheet, layer by layer, over a period of about 10 days.

Rinks are maintained six days a week, weather permitting. Typical maintenance includes scraping bumps and rough spots from the ice using a tractor-mounted shaver, sweeping to clear the debris, and then spraying fresh water to form a new top layer of ice.

Inclement weather information

For up-to-date information, call the Weather Line at 952-563-8878, option 3.

We reserve the right to close rinks whenever we feel it is in the best interest and safety of the participants. Rinks will usually follow the schedule listed above, unless:

The air temperature is -10° F or below.
The wind chill factor is -20° F or below.
Unusually warm temperatures have softened the ice, making the rinks unsafe for skating.
We receive a snowfall of more than two inches. This could delay cleaning the rinks and opening the building.

For more information, contact:

Parks and Recreation
PH: 952-563-8877, TTY: 952-563-8740, FAX: 952-563-8715
E-mail: outdoorrinks@ci.bloomington.mn.us