Julia Goldberg
News
Ice skaters and hockey players have been on a slippery slope since the Genoveva Chavez Community Center’s rink closed Sept. 9 for maintenance and has yet to reopen.
City officials shut down the rink for annual maintenance last month, but according to a sign posted at the rink and on the city website, the upkeep crew discovered an issue with the refrigeration system that delayed its anticipated reopen date of Sept. 17. A staff member tells SFR the ice arena remains closed for maintenance while repair staff waits for parts, with hopes to reopen the ice to the public by the end of the month.
In the meantime, Santa Fe Skating Club President Tammy Berendzen tells SFR her organization for all ages and skill levels is “adjusting on the fly” with the current lack of ice rink programming. She says the closure has already led to the club calling off its annual show that typically takes place in the first week of December.
“We’ve just made the decision to cancel that because by the time ice is in, there simply won’t be enough time for coaches and skaters to sufficiently put together programs and have practice time to be able to put on our annual show,” Berendzen says, “so in place, we’ll have a big exhibition in the spring, but, you know, that is a big loss to the skating community.”
In addition, she says, the skating club shifted the start date for its Learn to Skate program by two weeks as a result of the extended closure—from Oct. 14 to Oct. 28. While she says the closure seems to be the result of a legitimate mechanical issue, some members were “skeptical” at first due to a previous disagreement with the city over a proposal that the arena space be used for indoor soccer. The member, she says, wondered if the closure was “an end run” to the city introducing soccer there.
“It really does not appear that that is the case. This seems to legitimately only be a mechanical issue,” Berendzen says, clarifying she’s “not trying to stir up anything with the city.”
“The city is being very forthcoming with providing us with information at the moment,” she added.
Anson Stevens-Bollen
News
A view of inside the Genoveva Chavez Community Center's Ice Arena.Mayor Alan Webber ultimately axed the indoor soccer idea at the center in March citing financial constraints, and Santa Fe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President David Fresquez, the owner of a soccer team that had aimed to use the arena space, tells SFR he has not spoken with city officials about soccer recently.
“I’m not going into the Chavez Center or the city isn’t deliberately going in there and melting the ice so we could have soccer,” Fresquez says. “I don’t think there’s any intention. This is the first time I’ve heard about the closure.”
The ice rink closure comes in conjunction with the loss of former Ice Arena Manager Tom Miller, who served in the role since 2012 but transitioned to a job in the city’s Parks Division in September. A job posting for rink manager that had been live on the city website is no longer active.
Recreation Division Director Brian Stinett continues to provide updates to ice arena user groups through weekly meetings. For those unable to attend the meetings, the latest information is posted on the city’s website.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include additional information provided by City of Santa Fe Communications Director Amy Akmal after initial publication.
