Chaparral Ice Announces Temporary Closure to Replace Ice Surface

(Credit: Christina Shapiro/Texas Stars)
Chaparral Ice, the home of Austin's only public full-sized sheet of ice, announced today in an email to their customers that they will be closed for all on-ice activities for two weeks in late May to completely remove and replace their ice surface. The closure will run from May 23rd until June 5th.

The ice surface at Chaparral Ice has not been completely re-done in several years and is far overdue for a replacement. Years of skating and resurfacing have made the red lines, blue lines and faceoff dots difficult to see for players. Further, the ice that sees the most public skating traffic, the edges of the rink, have been scraped up repeatedly, leading to rough conditions in those spots.

Austin previously had three full-sized sheets before the closure of the Chaparral Ice facility on I-35. The Pond Hockey facility on United Ave, which has a smaller 'pond-sized' rink of 150 feet by 70 feet, will be open during this closure. A full-sized rink is 200 by 85 feet. Cedar Park Center is also used for some amateur adult league games when it is available.

This could present some issues if the Stars make it to the third or final round of the playoffs. The Cedar park Center calendar is pretty crowded around then with Disney on Ice May 21-25 and high school graduations May 30-31. The Stars use Chaparral to practice when the Cedar Park Center is unavailable. When you combine that with when the Stars will play the actual games during those stretches, there is an incoming logistical nightmare here if Texas makes it that far into the playoffs.

Here is the email:
Chaparral Ice will be closed for all on-ice activities from Friday, May 23, through Thursday, June 5, for a planned major maintenance project.

It is standard procedure for all rinks to completely remove and replace their ice surface every few years. As we have been the only year-round provider of ice in Austin for several years, we have hesitated to take this necessary break so as not to disrupt your individual skating and training needs. However, the time has come when this simply must be done.

The decision for when to perform this project was difficult and was not arrived at lightly. There is no time during the year when some who depend on our ice would not be affected by a closure. We regret any inconvenience this hiatus may cause you.

During the time our ice is down, staff will be in the rink to attend to as many of your needs as possible, and our Chaparral Gear pro shop will be open for business. In-Person and Online Registration for all our programs, including summer camps, will continue as usual.

Check the website frequently for updates during the closure. If the project goes smoothly and quickly, we may be able to reopen before June 5. We look forward to continuing to serve your ice skating needs and will be ready to hit the ground running for an amazing summer!

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