Dear City of Long Beach Parks and Recreation,

First, the group here is reaching out because we believe deeply in the impact that hockey has on the youth of Long Beach. We love that we have a rink in our hometown that lets us continue our passion for the game of hockey and pass on this love to the next generation.

We wanted to reach out as residents, patrons, hockey/skating parents, figure skaters, and hockey players of Long Beach, to reconsider & petition against the planned months-long shut down of the city ice rink this summer. For decades, the summers at the Long Beach city ice rink have been a valuable source of training, care, growth, and development for the children of our community. The camps and skating sessions provide instruction, development and healthy exercise for our children, as well as child care for their parents. Shutting down for a full summer would be an atrocity for the community, especially as we come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand the rink needs repair, and welcome those, but for the for the past 2+ years, we have all endured the trials and tribulations caused by shutdown and layoffs. As we exit this unprecedented time of global hardship, our entire community should be in a mode of prosperity, growth, and expansion, and not one of prolonged hardships through extended shutdowns and labor layoffs.

This summer, our children should be returning to a "normal" time of summer fun filled with hockey camps, summer leagues, public skating, open hockey, figure skating and, of course, a healthy dose of time on the beach. Our city employees, who have had over 2 years of cut-backs on working hours and wages, should be able to return to full time hours and pay. As our city leader of this historic recreation center, the goal should be to have the rink's best summer in years, not to shorten or take away a third summer of ice fun from our community. We understand that repairs and improvements are required. But, especially considering the aforementioned points, wouldn't the community and especially its children, be better served if you closed for a substantially shorter amount of time than currently planned and executed only the most dire and urgent needs? Our children need and deserve a "normal" summer of ice-related fun. This, more than any other time in our ice rink's storied history, is not the time to subject our children to additional shut downs; no matter how noble the reasoning may be. We thank you in advance for taking the time to seriously consider our petition, and we eagerly await your final decision. Please, let our children have a normal summer. Thank you.

Respectfully signed,

The Long Beach Community