Thunder Bay residents flock to outdoor rink

The number of people using Prince Arthur's Landing on Thunder Bay's waterfront is beating expectations. City officials are surprised by how quickly the skating rink has caught on.

Greg Alexander, Thunder Bays manager of Community and Emergency services, said the busiest day so far was Superbowl Sunday, with more than 1,000 skaters visiting Prince Arthur's Landing.

With such a large number of users in the winter, he said he's already wondering how busy the waterfront might be this summer.

"Having seen the response from the public in terms of the winter operation, we've had to make some projections about what's going to happen in the summer," Alexander said.

The projected cost of maintaining the park this year is $600,000. About a third of that is for wages, another third is for security, maintenance, ice resurfacing and energy costs.

He said the costs are a little higher than expected, but its an expense thats worthwhile.

Thunder Bay city councillors will get a report Monday night on the proposed operating budget for Prince Arthur's Landing for the coming year.