skating

The Legion Loop is now open.

It is a 350 kilometre long skating trail through Legion Park in Fort Frances.

The project was one anticipated during the planning for the new spray park.

Mayor Andrew Hallikas joined with town staff and skaters to officially open the trail.

He hopes it becomes an attractive area for area residents and tourists.

“Fort Frances, as we all know, is a hockey town and a town that enjoys winter sports,” says Hallikas.

“And the people of Fort Frances are a hearty group undaunted by sub-zero temperatures.”

“It is my hope that this trail will serve as a gathering place, a place to enjoy that Sub-Zero winter air, to have fun, to connect with your neighbours and to enjoy a great Canadian pastime.”

Construction of the trail was left to the town’s park staff.

Lead Cody Vangel says the location was dependent on bringing equipment that did not require the removal of any trees.

“We had to plan the loop where our equipment could actually travel through,” says Vangel.

“The truck that we’re hauling the water around is a three-quarter ton, with a big arrow board on top, so it’s about close to eight feet tall.”

Vangel says they turned to Thunder Bay for some assistance.

The city has operated a skating trail at Vicker’s Park for several years.

“I talked to a gentleman in the parks department in Thunder Bay, and they really gave us a good idea of how to implement a tee distribution bar off the back of our water truck, which really is the foundation of getting the water and the ice base down,” says Vangel.

“And just how they kind of maintain and pack a frost base down to hold the water, those are some key components that we took and implemented here.”

There will be regular maintenance of the trail, including snow removal once priority areas are complete, and flooding if required.

Barring a sudden warming of the temperatures, the trail will likely remain in place until at least into the early part of March.