Churchill Rink

MANAGER'S MESSAGE

January 22, 2021

Hello,

Just a quick update on our staffing situation here at the rink.

Due to close contact with a positive Covid-19 case, one of our staff members is now out on quarantine leaving us understaffed for roughly the next week. We have scrambled to cover what we are able to with emphasis on regular contracted ice rentals. No contracted ice rentals have been impacted. We will continue to post and offer public sessions for pre-registration on a rolling basis as we feel we are able to effectively staff the facility for them. Some sessions for Monday’s Teacher Workshop day have just been posted for registrations to begin.

For clarification, this situation DOES NOT impact anyone who has been at the facility as a patron recently.

Thank you for your understanding.

Bill Page - Manager

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Hello,

PUBLIC SESSIONS UPDATE Wednesday January 20.

You may have noticed we recently turned off some previously posted public sessions and are no longer accepting registrations for those. We are also not posting any new sessions beyond Sunday 1/24 at this juncture. We are still taking registrations for a handful of sessions through Sunday this week.

We are doing this because of a situation related to a rink staff member requiring them to self-quarantine until a close contact of theirs receives COVID-19 test results back. Based on those pending test results, we will move forward accordingly. (Posting some sessions beyond 1/24 will almost certainly still happen, just not yet as we figure things out!)

For clarification, this situation DOES NOT impact anyone who has been at the facility as a patron recently.

Losing just one of our staff members for a period during the season can make it tricky to operate under normal circumstances. Under these circumstances, losing a staff member can make it extremely difficult. Based on current circumstances, we see the need to pull back from offering more public sessions for sign-ups beyond what we already have posted. We are hopeful the test results will come back indicating the person being tested has a common cold and no further self-quarantine for the rink staff member will be required.

The potential for this type Covid-19 staff related situation has been an ongoing concern for how we’ve been looking at public sessions this season. We are hopeful this situation is just a blip for us and we can continue to keep the community users skating this season. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we sort through this fluid situation.

Thank You!

Bill Page, Rink Manager

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Monday January 18th

Greetings from the rink and Happy New Year!

We are now offering limited public sessions on a trial basis. We will be offering Public Skate, Fun Skate, Stick & Puck, Adult Pick-Up Hockey, and Family Pond Hockey. Sessions will be posted on a weekly, rolling basis.

RENTAL SKATES NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON!

**PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE DATES WHEN REGISTERING**

Due to the pandemic, WALK-INS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED - YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE! To sign up for sessions you will need an account (free) at the Durham Parks & Recreation website. From there you will register and pay for sessions you want to participate in. Registrations will be capped at functional levels based on space limitations and protocols that must be followed. We will not be opening sessions for registration too far in advance to prevent a complicated credit situation should we need to shut down or, should we see the need to make modifications. Initially, we will post and make sessions available for sign up no later than end of day Friday before the upcoming week. There will be no season pass this season.

To view and register for available sessions, please click HERE to view the Churchill Rink calendar. Click on sessions to initiate a registration!

Just like everything else these days, all of this is subject to change and we appreciate your willingness to go with the flow. None of this is easy or fun for anyone and we hope to bring some sense of normalcy into your lives by offering some public sessions.

Some things for you to consider are…

If you don’t already have one, get a head start and set up an account and payment method at the Durham Parks & Recreation website.
Once the sessions are posted, they will be available for sign up at the Recreation Department website under the PROGRAMS drop-down tab labelled “Churchill Rink”.
Masks…as in cloth face covering type masks, not hockey masks are a requirement for all patrons while in the facility. During Public Skating & Fun Skate sessions, masks are always mandatory for everyone even while skating. During hockey sessions if social distancing cannot be maintained, masks are also required on the ice or benches. Moving to and from the ice, to the bathrooms or while in changing areas, masks are always required. If this doesn’t work for you, please don’t sign up!
Please choose your sessions carefully – there will be NO REFUNDS/SESSION SWITCHES once you sign up unless we are not able to offer a session because we are closed for some reason in which case credits will be issued.
Online registrations for daily sessions may be turned off as early as 9am on the day they will take place – please plan accordingly.
ONLY SIGN UP FOR YOURSELF OR FAMILY MEMBERS. It is NOT ok to sign up friends or to give away your spot to anyone who is not a family member and under your account. If people are found to be giving away and/or receiving spots, they will be asked to take the rest of this season off.
RENTAL SKATES ARE NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON!
Learn-To-Skate crates are NOT available this season. If your child needs a training device, please bring your own.
Entrance to the facility is allowed no sooner than 15 minutes before session start times. Please don’t show up earlier.
When you arrive for a session you will be checked in against the pre-registration list, your temperature will be taken, and Covid questions will be asked of you.
Changing rooms may not be available for your session. If changing rooms are not being used for your session, an area with chairs will be provided and it may be cold so please plan accordingly.
All participants should have a bag suitable for storing belongings in while they skate.
Skate sharpening is available, but our snack bar is closed.
Spectators are currently restricted to one (1) per participant.
Eating & drinking in the building is restricted to light snacks and hydration fluids only.
If we cancel a session you signed up for, a credit will be issued to your account for future use.
We repeat, WALK-INS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED – YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE!

Thank You – Bill Page, Rink Manager

REMINDER HOW OUR OPEN / CLOSED STATUS WORKS

As a matter of standard practice, the rink is open unless otherwise posted here. Only in the case of rare and extreme "state of emergency" type situations, power outages, or equipment malfunction will we close the facility. All persons planning travel to the facility should use their own judgment to determine if the conditions are suitable for them to make the trip.

If there is a need to close the facility when contracted users are scheduled to use it, we will notify those users directly, post a message here, and post on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Thank You!

Bill Page, Manager

LOOKING FOR A PRIVATE ICE RENTAL?

Although vacant ice is limited, we are offering “Private Ice-Rentals” to the general public. If this interests you, please send me an email with answers to the questions below. Once I receive your request, I’ll look at what we have for available ice suiting your needs and get back to you with options. If a date and time is available that works, we’ll send you a contract and waivers that will need to be signed and returned to us with payment. You’ll have the use of the rink for skating with music. No rental skates are available at this time and if you’ll be playing hockey, everyone must have a helmet and minors must have a mask on the helmet. Here’s an idea what it costs to rent the ice at Churchill Rink. 60 minutes on the ice $262.50, 80 is $337.50, 90 is $375.00, and 120 minutes is $487.50.

Best Regards from all of us at the rink!

Bill Page

Rink Manager, Churchill Rink

Private Ice Rental Questions

Please email bpage@ci.durham.nh.us if you’d like to inquire about renting the ice.

How soon/when are you hoping to book?
Is this a onetime request or are you looking to rent ice on a more frequent basis over the course of this season?
What day(s) of the week are you interested in?
Do you have a specific date or dates in mind?
What time of day works? (Please provide a range)
How many people are you planning on having skate? (40 is the current limit for private rentals)
Do you intend to just skate, play some hockey, or both?
Is this for use by some sort of organized group like a full team, club, civic group, school group or private for your family/friends & family?