Ever since the Rink of Dreams closed for the season the front lawn of City Hall has been an eyesore. It’s been taped and gated off because it’s just not safe for people walking around. Perhaps it’s evidence of how quickly the city moved to get the rink ready in time for the NHL all-star game.

There hasn’t been much going on since the snow melted. The area could use a cleanup and some landscaping. I put in a request with the city this week and received a response this morning.

This from a city spokesman: “The Rink of Dreams boards will be dismantled this week and moved for summer storage. The boards will be stored at an indoor facility to prevent corrosion or damage to the LED light connections. The contractor that installed the boards in January will be doing the tear down. City staff are concentrating on litter pick up around the Rink of Dreams site and are working with the site contractor to complete work on landscape restoration as soon as possible due to the recent mild weather.”

The city’s $250,000 cost for the project still stands.

I went out to take some fresh pictures of the rink this afternoon and found some workers taking it down.

What do we call the Rink of Dreams in the summer, when it’s not really a rink? Maybe “Ottawa’s Magical Porch”?

Skaters were back on the Rink of Dreams Sunday afternoon after the city solved the refrigeration problem, which shut the rink down Saturday afternoon.

Mayor Jim Watson acknowledged in a CTV interview that rushing to get the rink open in time for NHL all-star weekend didn’t give the city enough time to get the kinks out.

I felt sorry Saturday for the city staffer who had to tell a steady stream of eager skaters they couldn’t use the Rink of Dreams because it appeared it was melting away.

I happened to be walking through City Hall around the time the rink closed. I snapped this picture at 3:15 p.m.

The staffer was great. She was honest with people about the rink having some kind of major problem. It was all turning to slush and it in some places you could see right through the ice. I heard later that the refrigeration unit conked out, though I’m sure the wacky weather over the past two days hasn’t helped, either. At the same time, the rink is said to stay frozen in temperatures up to 10 degrees Celsius.

Staff members were telling people the city would update them about the rink’s condition through public service announcements, but it’s about midnight Sunday and I haven’t seen one sent out. So, I can’t say if the rink will be ready for the special event planned for it Sunday morning.

It’s too bad for the city, which bailed out the National Capital Commission Friday when the canal was closed and there was NHL all-star fun to be had.

There was significant pressure on the city to have the rink open in time for the all-star weekend. The publicity generated for the city has been massive, with TV stations broadcasting live from the Rink of Dreams multiple times. For the rink to have refrigeration problems so soon, I have to wonder if the rink was, perhaps, rushed.

Hopefully the rink doesn’t run into refrigeration problems during Winterlude.

Jan. 25, 2012: Opening night. The Sun’s Errol McGihon took this picture last night after the city and Sens Foundation flicked the switch. Reporter Larissa Cahute was also there to witness the event.

Click here if you want to see pictures of the construction start to finish.

Jan. 23, 2012: Two days before the big opening.