Rokycany continue to repair the winter stadium. It has been in operation for half a century

Veronika Krátká

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The tank has been in operation since the opening of the stadium fifty years ago.

Repairs to the cooling engine room are carried out by the city in stages. This year, it is mainly the replacement of the storage tank for the water used in cooling the ammonia technology. The metal tank with a volume of 8,000 liters from 1974 will be replaced by a modern plastic one. “The first stage took place last year, when we replaced the ammonia storage tank and other components. This year we followed up with the second stage for around half a million crowns. We started right after the season ended on April 8. It should be finished during June,” explains the manager of the winter stadium, Petr Šindelář, adding that the goal is to ensure the highest possible safety of operation of cooling technologies.

The jubilee fiftieth season should start at the winter stadium during August. “The ice rink will be available in August, despite the fact that it is the most expensive month of the year for us to operate. We regularly start cooling when the outside temperature is around the thirties. We therefore have to ensure a sufficient number of people interested in renting ice. I believe that it will be successful, because I am already receiving orders from, for example, the figure skating club and the organizers of children’s hockey camps. In September, competitions and free skating will begin, which are of great interest. We are usually at capacity. The ice surface is also used by schools and kindergartens from a wide area,” adds Petr Šindelář.

The artificial ice surface in Rokycany was skated for the first time in November 1974. According to the data of the Association of Ice Stadiums in the Czech Republic, on November 22, a ceremony was held to hand over the finished work to the public, and a day later the first ice skating for children took place. The ice surface was then operated by the Technical Services. Over the next four years, additional facilities and equipment were built. In 1978, work began on the roof and the completion of the first floor of the administration building. In November, the city will commemorate half a century since the start of the stadium’s operation with a festive program.