Smithers residents who have been looking for an indoor walking track for winter exercise will soon get their wish – sort of.
Director or Recreation, Andrew Hillaby says the new ice arena will have an indoor walking isle for seniors and new parents who want a walk in the winter.
Hillaby says for a long time he has heard requests for a walking space from people who often resort to doing laps in the grocery store when it’s too cold to walk outside.
“The new arena, through some new designs that the engineering workers and architect have done, we now only have one small set of stairs and two other stairways which became ramps. So there is a lot of space right around the new arena, right next to the boards.”
He says people shouldn’t get too excited when they hear the term ‘walking track’.
He says it will be more like an isle, five feet wide at it’s narrowest point, that will circle the rink and be dry and clear of ice in the winter for anyone who needs a place to walk.
The space will be free for use and a schedule of user times will be created and posted when the rink opens.