The roller rink, a community gathering place which has been vacant the past three years, is slated to reopen this fall.
According to Jim Freeman, one of the cleanup coordinators, the rink, housed at the Church of God, was a mainstay of Wrangell social life in the 1980s. It was “one of the most popular things in town,” he said, and hopes that skaters will feel a sense of nostalgia once the facilities are up and running again.
Organizers are not yet sure when the rink will be open to the public, but they hope the space will be functional by Halloween. The organizers are doing what they can to return the rink to working order while juggling jobs and other commitments.
About 20 volunteers showed up to assist with cleanup on Sept. 17, including the high school wrestling team and several local couples. Volunteers cleaned the facilities, the spaces underneath the church and roller rink, and the outside storage area. “It was a great event,” said Douglas Schwartz, who is organizing the reopening effort. “The weather cooperated.”
Freeman described the return of the roller rink as a “chance to provide hope.” As the cost of living in Wrangell increases and winter approaches, he explained, the town could benefit from a fun, communal space. In addition to providing an indoor gathering place, the rink is “something that sparks the town,” he said. “It gets the church back in play again.”
Jack Carney, the new head wrestling coach at Wrangell High, spent about three and a half hours cleaning up with nine of his team members. He and the wrestlers hauled four truckloads and two large trailer loads of junk out of the Church of God and to the borough trash site, including old refrigerators and rickety desks.
For Wrangell’s high school athletes, doing physically demanding service is part of the job description, Carney explained. “We get asked to help out with … moving, heavy lifting, things like that,” he said. “We really value the community service aspect — helping out and volunteering.”
The Church of God made a donation to the wrestling team in appreciation for the athletes’ help.
Though most of what volunteers found had to be thrown out, their efforts did reveal a few useful items that were hidden in unused spaces, like high-quality lumber and some insulation in its original packaging, Schwartz said.
The pandemic and a lack of volunteers were among the primary reasons for the rink’s initial closure, explained Schwartz. But while the facility was empty, humidity and cold caused the rink floor to bubble, which has complicated the reopening effort. The floor repairs are almost complete, but the church still has to make a variety of minor adjustments and ensure that its permits are in order.
Eventually, Freeman hopes to modernize the rink with TVs and a sound system, but those amenities are still a long way off. “Right now,” he said, “we’re focusing on getting it open.”
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