What's with the piles of snow outside the Rochester Rec Center on Aug. 1?
Aug. 7—Dear Answer Man: Driving past the Rec Center on Elton Hills Drive on Aug. 1, I spotted a bunch of something that looked like snow piled alongside the building. Look, I know climate change is a concern, but is this a sign that we've passed the tipping point? Is this part of some Christmas in July promotion? Answer Man, you need to find out what's going on. — Snow Concerned.
Dear Snowy,
A pile of snow in August certainly would be a cause for concern. This time of year, the only frozen water Answer Man wants to see is in his margarita (on the rocks, not blended).
Take a deep breath and exhale, Snowy, assured that your exhale isn't tipping the CO2 level toward a fiery planet.
I chatted with Rochester Recreation Center Manager Ed Staiert, who told me the white piles of frozen water were not made of snow, but shaved ice. Specifically, ice shaved off one of the two ice rinks at the Rec Center. It seems one of the rinks needed to be repainted, which happens every few years.
Staiert said starting last Thursday, Rec Center staff used a couple of Zambonis to start shaving about 2 to 2-1/2 inches of ice off the rink without getting to the sand underneath.
You see the rinks have these pipes that run cooled liquid under the ice to keep it frozen. Those pipes are surrounded by and covered with sand. To make the ice, the crews put down about a quarter of an inch of ice on top of the sand, add a layer of paint so you see white not the brown of the sand, then add another three-fourths an inch by hose and those pipes of cold liquid. Finally, the ice is completed to its full depth by adding water and freezing it using the Zambonis.
But the Rec Center needed to remove all the ice for a couple of reasons. First, some of the paint had begun to drift. Power outages and just general wear and tear makes that happen. Usually ice can last a good five years before it needs repainting. The second reason, Staiert said, was the Rec Center needed to add some new Rochester Grizzlies logos under the ice.
So, the ice was shaved off, piled outside in the hot summer sun and left to melt. But, the ice was obviously spotted by you before it had a chance to go all the way to liquid.
The Rec Center picked now because it's a slow time for ice rink usage, he said. But the ice should be back supporting skaters within a few days.
"Currently, we're out there with a hose," Staiert said on Thursday. "We hope to be open on Monday."
Which means, Snowy, that ice is ready right now. Grab your skates and go.
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