The Chronicle-Telegram reported that North Park Ice Rink in Elyria Ohio may be closed on weekends this season calling into question how affiliated youth hockey programs will operate. The root cause of this problem appears to be after effects from layoffs of arena staff during the COVID-19 lockdown.
According to the article, “When the Parks and Recreation Department was suspended earlier in the year, part-time Parks employees were laid off because there was no programming due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those part-time employees normally would be the ones who would staff the ice rink. Brubaker said those employees aren’t available right now, and full-time employees would need to be paid overtime to work the weekend.”
The situation jeopardizes the relationship between North Park Ice Rink and Elyria Panthers Hockey Club which reportedly contributes $70,000 per season to the operating budget of the arena.