BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG -- The City of Ogdensburg's Lockwood Arena is without ice and closed for repairs.

The closure comes from a catastrophic failure of equipment that maintains the ice rink, according to a release from City Manager Fonda Chronis, who said City staff consulted with and continues to work with contractors to identify a solution. 

“The compressor unit that makes and maintains ice for the rink no longer functions, and we are working with our contractor partners to identify alternatives and get the ice back as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, right now I do not have a time frame for when the Arena will reopen.”

According to Chronis, this chiller equipment is more than two decades old, and although it has been maintained properly, the age of the system is the reason for this failure.

The city is hopeful the issue will be resolved soon.

 “The team is working as quickly as possible to find a cost-effective solution to this problem. As a former hockey parent myself, I understand the difficulties this closure is causing for winter recreation and apologize for this disruption. I am still hopeful we can be up and running soon but ask for the public’s patience while we sort out the options.”

Meanwhile Ogdensburg Free Academy's Golden Dome put ice in today.

Superintendent Kevin Kendall said the school arena has been able to provide ice for some the of groups who typically rely on the Lockwood for ice time. He said there was an uptick in requests that they are happy to accommodate.