HOLLAND, Mich. is on the brink of a frosty revolution with the groundbreaking of a new $11 million ice park at Window on the Waterfront Park slated for April 23, as announced by the city officials. The ice rink complex, incubated for five years, will feature a year-round skating rink, curling rink, refreshment stand, restrooms, and picnic areas, promising a draw for families looking for affordable recreation.
"This is going to be an incredible gathering place," quipped Holland Mayor Nathan Bocks in an interview with WGVU, as the park is envisioned to nudge the community from their digital obsessions to the ice, a sentiment echoed by City Manager Keith Van Beek who sees this as an opportunity to fill the leisure gaps identified by the residents, it's awfully hard to look at your phone when you are ice skating,” Mayor Bocks added. The project derived buoyancy from an initial $1 million contribution by retired educator Frank Kraai, a move that set the donation dominoes in motion and propelled the project past the planning stage.
Envisioned as a hub for social gathering and activities beyond the winter months, the complex aims to support annual Tulip Time festivities, emboldening Holland’s claim as a premiere recreational locale. "Our downtown has a long history of being a place that's been really attractive to people to come and experience and enjoy, now with this ice rink and not only in the winter months, but also year-round will be an enjoyable, affordable place for families to come," Van Beek told WZZM 13.
Despite recent mild winters putting a damper on skating ambitions, Holland's rink, designed with a refrigeration system, pledges to maintain ice from November through March each year, overcoming nature's fickleness, "Our system is refrigerated so that we guarantee that we can have ice basically, November through March every year, this winter I don't think we can safely ice skate on any ponds that I'm aware of in this area," Assistant City Manager Matt VanDyken conveyed to FOX 17. The project's financing sees a heavy leaning on private philanthropy, with $7 million of the total cost covered through donations, underscoring the community's commitment to the initiative.
The completed complex will not shave the ice for this coming skating season, however, it touts year-round utility with plans for Park and Recreation programming integrating plays and remote control car activities—an adjunct to the traditional winter sports offerings, thereby sewing the seeds for a continuous hub of local activity, Mayor Bocks told FOX 17. Holland’s municipal leaders harbor lofty expectations for the park, hoping it to become not just a seasonal delight but a permanent fixture in the communal and cultural tapestry of the city.
