Although the Pembina Valley has been enjoying its summer in recent days, Morden Fire & Rescue has been thinking chillier thoughts.
Twenty-five years ago, the service established a rink near the courthouse in Morden in partnership with the Morden Police Service. After a quarter of a century of providing Canadian-style leisure opportunities to the community, the beloved rink’s condition is now a topic of conversation.
A special project
The rink has been unique since its inception. Chief Andy Thiessen of Morden Fire & Rescue said it was a millennium project in 2000 that served a purpose beyond the community’s use of it.
“Selfishly, I wanted to set it up so that our pump operators had an opportunity to practice pumping water in the wintertime,” he said. “Lo and behold, our rink appeared.”
Since its construction, the Morden rink has become a well-used feature of the community.
It has even served as the childhood learning grounds of many young Mordenites, according to the fire chief.
Preserving a community staple
Although the rink has stood the test of time, it requires updates.
“We went and looked at it this spring and ... we need to fix up a few things just to make it safer and a little bit more enjoyable,” he said. “We blinked four times and 25 years went by.”
For Chief Thiessen, it’s a worthy project to undertake due to its significance to the community.
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He said that Morden Fire & Rescue often receives positive feedback on the rink — from birthday parties to an outdoor solace during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a place for everyone to enjoy.
“I've been out there a couple of times when we're doing some ice maintenance and the older kids are inviting the younger ones to join in, and it just kind of puts warmth into your heart when you see that kind of stuff,” he said.
The area has a legacy of rinks that dates back to before 2000.
Chief Thiessen said that when he was a child, there was an ice surface maintained by the Morden Kinsmen that was eventually torn down.
The area sat bare for a while until Morden Fire & Rescue and the Morden Police Service decided to give it a fresh start.
What will it take to fix the rink?
Chief Thiessen said that to repair the rink, which involves replacing the boards that surround it, the cost is $38,000.
Because of support from a community organization, however, Morden Fire & Rescue will only need to raise half that amount to repair the structure.
“The easier part about it is that for every dollar that is donated to the project, Morden Area Foundation is going to match it,” he said.
The Morden Area Foundation is also assisting the project by making various avenues possible to help, said Chief Thiessen.
Every contribution over $50 will receive a tax receipt, and the following locations are accepting donations:
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Morden Fire & Rescue
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Access Credit Union
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Morden Area Foundation Office
Donations can also be made online here.
For Chief Thiessen, every bit helps preserve a place in the community that has welcomed generations of Mordenites.
“It’s been a really good project and I'm assuming the community has enjoyed it as well,” he said.
With files from Robyn Wiebe