One of the best things you can do for your mind, body, and spirit during the doldrums of winter is to find an activity to keep you active and enjoying the season. Thankfully in Scarborough, there are a number of places to let out your inner snowman and make the cold months fly by. A great place to start is by bringing a pair of ice skates to our family-friendly municipal skating ponds.
For over three decades, Scarborough’s Community Services department has maintained the ice ponds located at 20 Municipal Drive, behind the brick maintenance building that resides between the high school turf field and Wentworth School. Parking is available at Wentworth School or along the high school fields and tennis courts. While there are no skate rentals or concessions, the skate ponds are completely free to use for any and all ages and abilities.
Thankfully, with the recent stretch of cold weather, the ponds were up and running earlier than in previous years. The ponds will be open on a day-to-day basis depending on the conditions, and will remain open as long as the cold temperatures persist. Community Services provides a daily weekday ice status update on their Facebook page by 12:00 noon and posts the weekend status by Fridays at 4:00 pm. Posts about the skating ponds will let you know if the ponds are open for normal hours, if they’re closed for maintenance (with the goal of opening later in the day), or closed due to poor ice or weather conditions. Be sure to check the Scarborough Community Services before you go.
There are two distinct skating ponds — the upper pond for hockey and a lower pond for skating. Please try your best to adhere to these area uses, especially when there are young first-time skaters using the lower pond. Any person who is younger than high school age must wear a helmet at all times when playing hockey. Hockey is only allowed on the upper pond. As a bonus this year, the hockey area has an extra small ice area set to the side for skill and skating practice separate from the main hockey playing surface.
There are benches around the skating area to take gear on and off and lights will be turned on in the evening hours until 9:00pm every night. Both ponds will be open to the public, depending on weather and ice conditions, from 2:00pm to 9:00pm Monday through Friday and 10:00am to 9:00pm on weekends.
Scarborough Community Services will be monitoring conditions and maintaining the skating surfaces, including snow removal and periodic reflooding to resurface the ice. If you go by and it looks like you could skate, and there are no signs saying it is closed, feel free to use the ice. However, if there are signs out saying the area is closed, please do not skate. Pond closures are intended for public safety and to prepare the surfaces for incoming colder weather, if staff foresee an opportunity to improve surface conditions.
Scarborough Community Services aims to enhance the quality of life for all residents by promoting a community centered environment through properly maintained public spaces and engaging recreation opportunities. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Community Services staff at comserv@scarboroughmaine.org or 207-730-4150.
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