Senior Elliott Christopher said skating on the new outdoor ice rink at the St. Louis Park Recreational Center is enjoyable.

“I’ve only been skating on the outdoor rink once but when I went I had a blast,” Christopher said. “It’s the best outdoor ice rink you can find and it felt like I was skating in an indoor arena because of the awesome condition the ice was in.”

According to Rec Center Manager Jason Eisold, although the outdoor ice rink is being used, construction is not finished yet.

“It’s not yet complete 100 percent. We opened for operation Dec 5. We still have the roof to construct. The construction will start on that the first part of March with completion in early May,” Eisold said.

Eisold said the roof was not built with the rest of the ice rink because the materials were not available at the time, but believed the rink should still be used during the winter season.

“There was a delay in some of the materials. If we would have waited for them, we wouldn’t have really been able to have any of a season. So we made the decision to go without a roof and get a skating season in versus not having anything at all,” Eisold said.

Senior Grant Plender said a new rink will help recruit more hockey players.

“I would definitely say (the rink) is a positive thing. It will hopefully draw more young kids and other families to SLP’s hockey program,” Plender said.

Eisold said the ice rink is being used as a practice facility for hockey teams and as an open skate rink when it is not rented out.

“(The rink is being used) for open skating, organized skating practices and when it isn’t being rented exclusively by anybody, just for outdoor rink (use) like the other park rinks around town. So you can just stop over and hop on it if no one else is on it and no one has it reserved,” Eisold said.

The outdoor ice rink is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Open skate days are Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Skate rental is $3 a pair.