‘It was a lake instead of an ice rink.’ Vandals melt San Francisco-area skating rink
Owners of a San Francisco-area ice rink preparing for a busy day during a community holiday parade got a shock when they arrived at work Saturday morning, KTVU reported.
“We came in this morning and it was a lake instead of an ice rink,” said owner Tom Gregory, KGO reported. “So we kind of panicked and ran around.”
Vandals had tampered with valves to a chiller that kept the rink cold, causing the ice to melt and costing the business $35,000 in repairs and lost revenue, KTVU reported.
Gregory replaced the chiller and the Brentwood on Ice reopened Tuesday with fresh ice, The East Bay Times reported. The owner said he initially didn’t know if he could reopen at all.
“This is a place where everyone can be happy and be with their friends,” said skater Sabella Zimmerman, 14, on Tuesday, according to the publication. “Why try to ruin it?”
Brentwood on Ice had expected its busiest day of the short ice-skating season Saturday, with 10 to 12 birthday parties scheduled plus the 37th annual Brentwood Holiday Parade drawing people downtown, KGO reported.
Brentwood on Ice customers bought hot chocolate and sweaters to support the rink during its closure, according to the station. Some speculated on what the vandals might find in their stockings this Christmas.
“Probably some coal,” said Annalyse Garcia of Brentwood, KGO reported.
While Gregory tried to get the rink back up and running, his competitors offered to host any upcoming reservations, including a 400-person Girl Scout party, and pass the money along to Brentwood on Ice, The East Bay Times reported.
“When you are watching that ice melt and the ponds form, it slowly melts your heart,” said Big Chill owner Paul Bates, according to the publication. “I am with him. I know what he is feeling.”
Police in Brentwood, in Contra Costa County in the East Bay, are investigating the vandalism, KTVU reported.
“This was just a punch in the kidney,” Gregory said, according to the station. “I don’t think they realized how much damage they would do by opening those drain lines.”