You can forgive Mayor Dwight Jones his Pollyannaish optimism about the state of Richmond, because he has his own version of a monorail to save downtown. It's called an ice-skating rink.
And as silly as it sounds, it's probably not a bad idea.
Especially if he can figure out what to do with it the 10 months out of every year when no one will be ice skating on it. Chris Dovi at Style Weekly breaks the news:
Jones confirms his plan to propose an outdoor ice-skating facility — reminiscent of the one at Rockefeller Center in New York — on vacant Broad Street property adjacent to the CenterStage performing-arts complex.
“No, the mayor does not skate,” Jones spokeswoman Tammy Hawley says, but “the mayor has a strong focus on helping downtown become more vibrant.”
The plan takes the form of a proposal, yet to be submitted, in which Jones asks the city’s Recreation and Parks Foundation to front fundraising efforts for the facility.
Dovi reports that the mayor already has $80,000 pledged in private funds for the $100,000 venture.
