Milford Bay residents can look forward to a new outdoor skating rink in the upcoming years, but it could be a long wait.
The Township of Muskoka Lakes began setting aside money for the project this year, starting with about $20,000.
Currently there is an old rink in Milford Bay, but Muskoka Lakes Councillor Don Furniss said there is demand and space for a new one.
The new rink will be built on property adjacent to the community centre, next to where the future fire hall will be.
“It would make sense to locate the rink adjacent to a new fire hall rather than in its existing location,” Furniss said.
He said there’s no word on when it will get started, it may not be until the fire hall gets built, which is still in the conceptual stages and could be five years away.
It depends on how it gets designed, he said. If it’s a straight pad, he expects $60-$70,000 may cover the cost, depending on the size.
“But I think people have grandiose visions of putting facilities there that have artificial ice, putting a roof over it, and stuff like that,” he said.
Furniss compared those visions to the rinks in Magnettewan and Parry Sound.
He said he doesn’t think the community has the wherewithal to build something like Magnetewan’s rink, which also hosts concerts and other sports like ball hockey and lacrosse.