South Mountain has one of the five outdoor rinks within North Dundas, with the other four being in Mountain, Hallville, Inkerman, and Morewood. With the indoor rinks closed due to the current pandemic lockdown, let’s hope the winter weather holds, and we can keep the outdoor rinks up and running!
The old shack that sat beside the rink for many years is gone, and has been replaced by a new, smaller, maintenance shed. Kids used to change their skates in the old shack, but the new shed is for equipment. The shed will be getting siding this year, as well as paint.
There is a four season public pavilion to be built at the park at South Mountain sometime in 2021. In the winter people can tie their skates, or watch skaters, and in the spring, summer, and fall, it will provide shelter and a venue for social gatherings.
The total budget for the new maintenance shed, and pavilion, is $25 353, including landscaping, engineering, labour, contractors, permits, utility hook-ups, and materials.
The indoor rinks are closed, as are the libraries, although branches are doing curbside pickup. All recreation facilities and community centres will be closed until January 23, based on the province’s shutdown. The township recreation programs scheduled to start January 18, will now start, tentatively, on February 1, 2021. Rink houses normally open, are not open during the shutdown.
South Mountain also has a bit of a sledding hill. It is not of the same caliber as the hill in Limerick Forest, or Conroy Pit in Ottawa, or even the hill in Winchester, but it is just the right size if you’re little, and you have a little sled.