The Coronavirus pandemic has pulled the plug on ice-skating for this Winter, in Atlantic. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen told the Parks Board Monday evening, that the tarp for the basketball court is ready to go, but the Board voted to cancel unrolling the tarp and filling it up with water, waiting for Mother Nature to freeze it.

They cited the unknowns with the COVID-19 proclamation and lack of use in past Winters as reasons why there will be no ice skating this year. Rasmussen said if there was no pandemic, they would have had the tarp rolled out already. But with the threat of another proclamation extending the current public health emergency, they would have had to spend time draining the tarp and putting it back into storage.

On bright note, Rasmussen said he checked with a major sporting goods store and looked into purchasing four kayaks and three or four canoes, as well as life jackets, which could be rented out to persons wanting to use them at the Schildberg Quarry lakes for fishing, or other such activities. The equipment would cost roughly $5,000, and hopefully be offset through the use of grants and donations. Rasmussen is in the process of researching grants, and will come back to board when he has more solid backing through those types of funds.

Also, and update to the Atlantic Parks and Rec website is slowly making progress. The good news, is that shelter reservations are being incorporated into the website, and well as ways for people to donate funds for future parks department endeavors, should they want to do so. Reservations for one of the five City Park shelters (Camblin, Kiddie Korral, East and Cedar Park shelters and the downtown City Park Shelter), will available online, soon.

Rasmussen said Parks and Rec brochures will be available when they are finished, at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, and the Parks and Rec Office at Sunnyside Park. Bryant said they’ve been working on the layout and design for the brochures for the past several months.  The goal is try and promote the department, its recreational programs and more detailed information.  Local volunteer organizations who made the park amenities visibly appealing and maintained will be highlighted in the brochures, as well as various programs that may be sponsored by organizations.

The City’s Trail Network brochures are already available. They, along with Walkability information will be featured in the new brochures, also. Rasmussen said the first run printing of the brochures would probably be around 100 to 500, with the higher amount costing just a few dollars more than a lower printing run.