Flash flooding from Monday morning’s heavy rainfall has destroyed ice at Jefferson City’s Washington Park Ice Arena, according to Parks Resources Division Director J.J. Gates.
Gates tells Missourinet mud and water is inside the arena, adding that maintenance crews are on-scene assessing the damage. He says storage areas at the facility have also been damaged.
Gates says the flash flooding also damaged some nearby concession stands, and that debris is covering some ball fields.
Gates says the damage will take at least one week to clean up. He says an ice theatre camp will be impacted. Children from that camp were scheduled to perform this weekend. That won’t happen now because of the flooding, Gates says.
The Missouri Tigers hockey uses the facility for their home games. Their schedule as well as fall public skating and adult hockey rec leagues should not be impacted, although rink manager Kerri Gates said she is adjusting and working on schedules today.
Phil Stiles, Recreational Facilities and Special Services Division Director, said a maintenance crew member showed up at 5 a.m. on Monday and the whole area was under three feet of water. Stiles is optimistic they will have the facility up and running again in a month. It usually takes two to three weeks to rebuild and paint the ice surface. (Bill Pollock interviews Stiles)
The original Washington Park Outdoor Ice Arena opened in 1960.
