Let there be ice!

Volunteers Alan Dunski (from left), Pat Dunn, Bruce Nopenz and Roger Johnson get ready to measure and lay out boards for the Silver Lake ice skating rink in Schmalfeldt Park on Dec. 31. The rick should be open, weather permitting, about Jan. 12. (Photo by Gail Peckler-Dziki).
Volunteers Alan Dunski (from left), Pat Dunn, Bruce Nopenz and Roger Johnson get ready to measure and lay out boards for the Silver Lake ice skating rink in Schmalfeldt Park on Dec. 31. The rink should be open, weather permitting, about Jan. 12. (Photo by Gail Peckler-Dziki).

Volunteers get busy in Silver Lake

By Gail Peckler-Dziki

Correspondent

The weather finally cooperated and more than 20 volunteers converged on Schmalfeldt Park in Silver Lake recently to build an ice skating rink.

The rink was the brainchild of Park Commission member Alan Dunski, according to Village Trustee and commission Chairman Doug Randolph.

Other commission members who helped move the project forward are Terry Baker, Laura Francart, Marty Bilecki and Ann Augustin.

Prior to that day, a volunteer crew painted the boards for the sides on the rink in the Silver Lake Legion banquet hall. Nancy and Mike Dulek donated use of the space for the project.

Donny Schneiderman from Silver City Suds and Village Trustee Dan Withers both donated paint for the boards. Purchasing plywood for the sides and then painting them to make them last longer were two money-saving measures suggested by Randolph and the rest of the Village Board and the Park Commission.

Dunski was at Schmalfeldt Park on Dec. 30 with a snowplow on his four-wheeler, breaking up the crusty snow that covered the park.

Both Dunski and Trustee Roger Johnson removed the snow early on New Year’s Eve morning, getting it ready for the rest of the crew.

The rest of the volunteers joined Dunski and Johnson to measure the space, lay out and anchor the braces, attach and secure the boards and place the liner.

The Silver Lake Fire Department committed its final official act prior to dissolution by putting in the first load of water. The Salem Fire Department, under the supervision of Mike Murdoch, a Salem firefighter and head of Salem Public Works, added seven tankers of water to the project.

Many volunteers were from Silver Lake, including Board President Bruce Nopenz and son Connor and Village Trustees Doug Randolph and sons Ben and Christian. Pat Dunn and grandson Logan were also on hand to make it happen. Some volunteers came from surrounding communities. Paul Finley, of Antioch, who is friends with Marty and Marie Wiltberger joined the crew.

Joey Raymond, Jim Christiansen, Ben Wiltberger, Erik Ericksen, Donny Todd, Jon-Michael Fessel and Tim and Riley Pitcher also braved the cold to help make this Silver Lake venture come together.

See the Jan. 8 print edition of the Westosha Report for the full story

 


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