The planned downtown ice rink has melted in the hotbed of turmoil that is today's economy.
After receiving a requested $50,000 loan for the rink from the city Nov. 5, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association decided not to squander the money on an increasingly scattered rink infrastructure.
"In an effort to be fiscally responsible and make sure that the city loan is just that, a loan, and insure that we don't incur costs above the loan, we determined that we could not take the risk at this time," members of the association's executive board wrote in a joint letter Nov. 15.
What started as a rink that would operate from Thanksgiving into January and paid for by sponsorships from area businesses morphed into a rink that would open just before Christmas and be paid for by a few small sponsorships and the city loan.
After the association discovered that the quoted $70,000 operating costs did not include staffing and other costs, the board decided against the rink.
"It's extremely disappointing," Downtown Association Executive Director Jorge Briones said. "Initial discussions with the vendor, we were told it would be a fully turnkey operation. It meant they had staff, would build the rink and the surrounding deck and other items. But after receiving the quote from the vendor, there were a couple of open question marks."
Briones said it's hard to see the bright side of the canceled rink.
"I guess the up side would be that the city has never been this close before," Briones said. City officials and the association have tried to make an ice rink happen for years.
The association still plans to host the ice rink next year.
2008 saw the addition of several other new downtown association events. They include September Saturdays, a music and movie night; the Downtown Street Fair, a weekend fair featuring downtown businesses; and Mushroom Art, in which 3-foot-tall mushroom sculptures designed by local artists were placed throughout the downtown area.
In lieu of the rink, the association plans to put up decorations and a lighted tree and play holiday music. The Kiwanis Club will host a parade Dec. 6.
Natalie Everett
Natalie Everett Natalie Everett is the education and city reporter for The Times. Reach her at (408) 779-4106, ext. 201, or neverett@morganhilltimes.com.
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