"We`ve had tons of kids out here," but this winter will be the last for front yard ice rink in Greenfield



GREENFIELD -- In addition to putting out fires, the Greenfield Fire Department also does code enforcement -- which put them in the middle of a dispute over an ice rink in someone's front yard.

An unseasonably warm Monday, January 2nd claimed more of Tom MacDonald's precious creation.

Tom MacDonald



"I think it looks awful. It looks like an ice rink graveyard. It's beautiful when it's up," MacDonald said.

This will be the third and final winter for MacDonald's ice rink.

"We`ve had tons of kids out here playing and it`s not an eyesore. If anything, it makes it look better than this black and brown snow," MacDonald said.

"We aren`t out actively looking for ice skating rinks that we can shut down," Greenfield Fire Chief Jon Cohn said.



Chief Cohn said they checked out the rink in December after a neighbor filed a complaint. He said there were a couple problems: Water leaked into the street and froze on the road and a couple other driveways. The city said the rink is so close to the street, it is on top of their right-of-way land, where utilities run.

Greenfield Fire Chief Jon Cohn



"It`s about only two to three feet off the roadway when it should be in the 14- to 15 foot range, which obviously, would make it no rink at all," Chief Cohn said.

Cohn said he tried to make a compromise. They said the rink could stay until it melts -- but until then, no new water could be added.

"We didn`t tell them to stop skating immediately," Chief Cohn said.

With the rink now dying a slow death, the kids in the neighborhood have settled for pucks on the pavement. Their only hope for one last front yard face-off? Mother Nature.



"We can do some rain dances, I guess, and see what happens," MacDonald said.



MacDonald said building this rink cost about $2,000 -- so he`s hoping to work with the city to take all the supplies and relocate them to a park so, come next winter, the neighborhood -- in fact, the whole city -- will have a place to skate outdoors.