By James Hopkin
People attending the rink at the Robinson community playground will have an improved rink to skate on next winter.
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The playground, located on Southview Drive, has received a monetary donation of $5000 from Molson Canada to subsidize the cost of materials needed to upgrade the skating rink.
The rink was originally built on swampland, and needs to be raised one foot in order to keep the rink functional throughout the winter months.
"We tend to lose the rink early," said Derek Erickson, head of the rink restoration project at the Robinson playground. "We would like to keep the ice until the March break."
The playground hosts a number of community activities such as the Canskate program, and is utilized as a practice facility for numerous tyke, atom and novice hockey teams.
"It (rink) needs to be raised, and it also needs a major overhaul," Erickson said.
Erickson submitted an application to Molson Canada in hopes of receiving financial assistance for the restoration of the rink. Molson informed him at the end of May that the playground would receive a cheque for $5000 by September.
So far Erickson's application has been the only one accepted in the Sudbury area.
"I thought we had a good proposal," said Erickson. "And we are a hockey community."
Erickson raised additional funds for the restoration project through revenues from the annual winter carnival at Robinson playground.
The funds will be used to raise and resurface the rink, and improvements will be made to the boards as well.
In the future, Erickson plans to raise money for a full-sized ball diamond and a miniature zamboni for the ice surface.
For now, Erickson is more than pleased with his fundraising efforts.
"It's pretty exciting," said Erickson. "I'm really happy."
"The park is the hub of our community."
