Coming this winter, Indianola will have an ice skating rink that will be open to the public.

Te ice skating rink will be located at Pickard Park, which is of of Highway 92 E. It will be free to use, but patrons will still need to bring their own skates. It will be open from dawn until noon for hockey and noon until dusk is open to free skating according to the Indianola Parks and Recreation website.

The rules are listed out on the website as well; however, since the rink is not supervised, it will be up to the public to follow those rules to stay safe.

The rink is a gift from Wells Fargo, along with the Iowa Wild hockey program. The new rink comes as part of a program that is set up to promote hockey throughout Iowa.

“A number of hockey and skating fans in the city were aware of the Wild’s community outreach program,” Indianola Mayor Kelly Shaw said in an email interview. “You could say that two interests met, and working with the city we were able to take advantage of these like interests and get it done.”

The program has already installed five other ice skating rinks throughout the Des Moines metro area.

The exterior boards will be going up around the softball field this week, but there is no firm opening date yet, according to Doug Bylund, director of Indianola Parks and Recreation in an email interview.

In order for the ice to freeze solid, the temperature must be at least in the high 20’s for a few days in a row. Bylund said he is anticipating this will happen sometime in the middle of December.

The Parks and Rec Facebook page will be kept updated, and a sign out at Pickard will be put on the gate to let the public know if the rink is open.

“Being a townie, I believe that this is going to be successful in the future if they offer skate rental,” senior Caitlyn Berkey said.

On the other hand, Bylund and Mayor Shaw seem excited about the rink.

“We do think this will be a great addition to our community for people of all ages,” Bylund said.

Mayor Shaw also expressed his excitement and said Indianola is “always looking for new recreation opportunities.”

The rink will offer a new facility and experience for the community and an experience “that will provide more opportunity for active winter recreation and develop lasting memories,” Bylund said.

The rink is portable and will only be in place during the winter. Once it is too cold to sustain ice, it will melt and return to being a softball field.