PENDLETON, Ore.-Ice skating-that quintessential holiday activity may not be possible in Pendleton this year due to issues with the reconstruction phase of the Roy Raley Park Rehabilitation project.
The City of Pendleton announced that the rink would not open as scheduled after Thanksgiving, and that it may not be able to open at all until 2026, on November 21.
“The best-case scenario at this time will be a significant delay in opening the rink, but there is a strong possibility the rink will be unable to open at all this season,” said Parks and Recreation Director Liam Hughes.
The Roy Raley Ice Rink sits on top of the old Pendleton Natatorium, a swimming pool that was filled in and capped with concrete in the 1960s.
In 2023 Pendleton launched a rehabilitation project after the concrete, that is used for basketball courts in the summer and the ice rink in the winter, began to fail, according to the City.
At the end of last skating season, the old rink was torn down and the site was prepped for construction of a new ice rink, with construction scheduled to begin in Summer 2025.
The contractor selected for construction experienced significant delays in securing the correct bonds for a public project of the size of the ice rink, according to the City, and the reconstruction work has not yet begun.
Once the contractor is able to finish, the new concrete will need 30 days to cure before it can be frozen to build ice, which may be after the holiday season.
“The joy and active recreation opportunity the ice rink brings to the community over the holidays is pretty special, and we are very disappointed to see the ice rink project delayed,” said Hughes.
Updates on the Roy Raley Ice Rink project are posted on the City of Pendleton’s Projects Page.
