South Park ice rinks open after $3.4M renovation

Warmer than usual temperatures and even rain won't close down the ice rinks at South Park anymore.

The rinks opened Saturday after a $3.4 million renovation project that upgraded the facility's chilling system and built more places for people skate.

The new chiller system kept the rinks open all weekend.

“This has been a very popular place in South Park for many, many years. I keep hearing stories about people who had their first date here, who had their first kiss here, who had their first couples skate here,” Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said at the rinks' opening Saturday. “A lot of great memories, and we want to make sure those memories continue on in the future.”

The project involved demolishing the old rinks to make room for an NHL-sized rink and a 226-foot skating trail. The two rinks allow the facility to host a hockey game or skating lessons and still have room for open skating. There are new bleachers, a scoreboard and rubber flooring.

The county spent about $2 million from its capital budget on the project. Other funding came from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Regional Asset District and the Penguins Foundation.

Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com, 412-336-8448 or via Twitter @tinynotebook.