Sault Ste. Marie tries synthetic ice to lower maintenance costs

Up North7:18Sault Ste. Marie councillor eyes synthetic ice

Steve Butland is advocating that Sault Ste. Marie look at using synthetic ice on outdoor rinks instead of natural ice because it's seen as cheaper and better for the environment.

As the temperature continues to stick below zero throughout the region, skaters in Sault Ste. Marie may wonder why the city is considering synthetic ice.

City councillor Steve Butland says natural ice can be inconsistent depending on weather conditions. He said synthetic ice may be the answer to variable weather and the cost of maintaining real ice.

For a real rink, like the one named after Phil Esposito, Butland said the standard cost is $65,000 to operate, and is only open for a few months.

Synthetic ice would cost less and the arena would be open for much longer, he said.

The surface consists of panels of coated, high density plastic coated by a lubricant.

A rink with synthetic ice would cost $125,000 and the city would recoup the money in a few years.

Butland said he’d like to see the test rink up and running by March 1.

He expects people will like it — and said Esposito has endorsed the synthetic surface.

"Skating purists say it's 80 to 90 per cent like the real ice surface,” said Butland. “And I think the only way, the only advisable way to say should we be going there is to have a pilot facility."

If the pilot project is successful, the city may purchase a full-scale surface and consider purchasing between one and three ice surfaces.