Fort Frances council is being asked to continue a summer ice pilot project for another year.

Summer ice was installed at the Ice for Kids Arena for the first time in July and August.

Almost 600 of the 770 available hours were used by community groups and programming such as public skating and shinny.

That represents 77% usage with permits accounting for 52% of all hours.

The program was a financial success.

It was initially thought having summer ice would cost the town about $6,300.

Instead, a profit of $9,251.37 was realized.

Rather than seek to make summer ice a permanent thing, Recreation and Culture Manager Nathan Young is asking council to continue the pilot for another year so they have an additional year of data to determine if ice should be available every summer.

“While this year’s program was financially successful, future Summer Ice programs may not benefit from similar circumstances,” writes Young in a report to council.

“It will be crucial to monitor expenses closely in 2025 to ensure the program remains financially sustainable.”

Young says there was increased pressure on ice-making equipment.”

Prolonged usage may accelerate wear and tear, potentially shortening the lifecycle of this equipment. As such, continued monitoring and evaluation of maintenance schedules and replacement needs will be crucial if Summer Ice becomes a regular service,” writes Young.

If permission is granted to permit another season, Young makes several recommendations.

This includes hosting a meeting with user groups to allow for a better division of ice permits and prioritizing hockey and figure skating camps over personal ice time.

He also proposes reaching out to groups sooner to give them more time to prepare.

Ice permits would also be non-refundable.

Council is to consider the proposal at their meeting on Tuesday night.