Steve Goldstein, an east-side resident and avid skater, has noticed it. "The quality of the ice is not as good this year," he says of the city skating rink at Tenney Park. In particular, he was struck that snow was not removed over the long New Year's holiday. He believes there's been a shift in parks policy, due to fiscal concerns. He's right.
The Parks Division is trying to cut back on weekend work, for which staff earn comp time at a rate of time and a half. Parks Superintendent Kevin Briski says some workers racked up hundreds of hours of comp time they'd use to take off during the week, making it harder for the division to function. So now maintenance of the city's seven rinks, including Tenney, Vilas and Elver, is done as much as possible on weekdays.
"We still have a commitment to our ice conditions," says Briski. He and division spokeswoman Laura Whitmore say ice maintenance has been made more difficult this year by heavy snow and other weather conditions.
