The municipality of Aa en Hunze agrees to the arrival of a new ice rink in Gieten. In the plan that IJsvereniging Gieten-Bonnen has submitted to the municipality, both parties will each pay 300,000 euros for the construction of the ice rink. A total of nine tons is needed.
Although there had previously been broad support for the arrival of the ice rink in the municipal council, the commitment for a contribution of €300,000 came unexpectedly. “We had not yet counted on this,” says initiator Jan Moek. “But the municipality was in a policy-poor position, so we raised the matter at the right time.”
After the council meeting, the initiators of the ice rink association expressed their views to the group members. “They really helped us with the money they released,” says Moek. “And afterwards I had a glass of wine with my wife at home, yes.”
The arrival of the ice rink will also come as a relief to local residents, the initiator thinks. He says that some of them even suffer from a wet basement when there is a lot of water on the ice rink. “You will also prevent that later, because we will then need considerably less than that lump of water that is still on the track every year.”
The new ice rink is necessary to keep the skating dream alive in Gieten and surrounding villages. “We do it not only for the community in Gieten, but also the surrounding areas,” says Moek.
On the current natural ice rink, a layer of water of 50 centimeters must first be poured, after which you can only remove the skates from the grease after seven days. According to Moek, this is an increasingly difficult task now that the winters are getting shorter.
The natural ice will soon make room for an asphalt track 10 meters wide. You can skate on it in the summer, while in the winter it can be converted into a skating rink. Moek: “You can skate on that paved track with a small layer of water after two nights of freezing.”
However, the initiator wants to dampen the festive spirit for a while. “More than half of the money has now been received, but we are not there yet.” The ice rink association is appealing for sports subsidies and funds for the still missing 300,000 euros.
“But subsidizers also asked the question: what does your municipality do?” says Moek. After the municipality approved, that concern was removed from funds. A domino effect seems to be on the way. “We are on the right track, and now it is time to raise the rest of the money.”
The ice rink association in Gieten hopes to complete the paperwork next year. “As a working group, we expect to be able to put the shovel in the ground in 2027 and realize the track later that year.”