Pittsburgh's Schenley Park Skating Rink reopens after major overhaul
A steady, cold rain Friday night didn’t stop Ben Pinkston from taking the ice at the Schenley Park Skating Rink.
He had waited 10 months for it to re-open.
The rink, which is celebrating 45 years, had been closed since March for an overhaul.
It needed to be repaired because of difficulties keeping the ice frozen, especially with temperature fluctuations, said Chris Hornstein, the city’s assistant public works director.
The $1.4 million project was paid for by money from the Allegheny Regional Asset District sales tax, the Schenley Ice Rink Trust Fund and the city, Hornstein said.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was led by city and county officials, among them Mayor Bill Peduto and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and members of the Department of Public Works.
After that, there was an open skating session.
Pinkston, 12, from Squirrel Hill was the first customer on the ice.
“I was so excited to get on the ice,” Pinkston said. “I would much rather be outside doing something than sitting inside at a computer or playing a video game.”
His father said Ben learned to skate at the Schenley rink when he was 3 years old.
“The rain didn’t stop us, because we have skated in all weather,” Chris Pinkston said. “You can definitely tell the difference in the ice.”
Chris Pinkston said his son had been monitoring the progress of the rink’s refurbishing. When he heard the day it was to re-open, he told his dad they had to be there. They like to skate at least once a week, sometimes more.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Steely McBeam and Pittsburgh Pirates’ Parrot were also on hand. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Iceburgh had a prior commitment — the Penguins hosted the rival Philadelphia Flyers at PPG Paints Arena.
The three were on hand Saturday afternoon for the 33rd annual Citiparks Mascot Skate with other 30 costumed characters.
The best way to break in the newly-renovated Schenley Park Skating Rink? The annual Mascot Skate, obviously. pic.twitter.com/6Yq0A273U5
— Corey O'Connor (@CoreyOConnorPGH) February 1, 2020
The next event is Friday, Feb. 14, Valentine’s on Ice — adults-only — which invites people to skate with their sweeties from 7 to 10 p.m.
The entire concrete rink was rebuilt and now has 13 miles of pipe underneath. There is also new, more efficient LED lighting, hockey team benches and seating for spectators. A sound system was also installed, along with dasher boards and Plexiglas. They also have a new Zamboni to clean the surface.
The rink is 200 feet long by 85 feet wide, which is the original footprint.
With the improvements they can have longer hours and faster turnarounds for intermission, Hornstein said.
“A large construction job like this takes time and requires an entire team,” Hornstein said. “I want to thank everyone who was a part of this project. We have created a great facility going forward for another 45 years.”
The Schenley Park Skating Rink is at 10341 Overlook Drive, Schenley Park, Pittsburgh.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.