Letter: Ice rink equals money down the drain

City tax money literally down the drain for a silly ice rink. 2021: $143,000 lost. 2022: $189.000 in the red. NO measure of whether the ice rink in the City Plaza increases business revenues or associated sales taxes. Many folks try to avoid downtown once the ice rink goes up. The ice rink makes the downtown plaza unusable by anyone else for over two months. It also looks trashy. Yet the City Council voted to allocate $225,000 this winter to fund this losing venture yet again.

Why? Feel good (Norman Rockwell) vibes? Can we please be more creative? Does anyone remember Chico Palio? We have so many artists and musicians in this community who could draw folks downtown. Perhaps like the Thursday Night Market, we could have a weekly Holiday Market that incorporates the annual tree/menorah/kinara lightings, Sounds of the Season, etc. Heck, the city could even partner with the Children’s Museum to offer free babysitting for folks shopping and attending events downtown during the holiday season. Can’t we use that money to support something more community-centered rather than buying a cheesy skating rink that reliably operates at a loss? That rink does not feel good.

— Adrienne Edwards, Chico

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