Take a look at the future downtown Kamloops skating rink

Kamloops is set to lay ice sheets at Riverside Park, adding more life to one of the city's most iconic green spaces.

It was more than a year ago city council decided not to build the rink, but a $15 million windfall from the province made the dream possible again.

The Kamloops Outdoor Skating Society thanked council for approving the plans after years of advocating for the project.

"We believe that outdoor skating is a wonderful experience and we're overjoyed that so many people in our amazing city will be able to enjoy it too," the association said in a statement.

Riverside Park is currently under construction to, in part, replace its ageing spray park.

In September 2021, the City opted to replace it with a new spray park with underground brine lines that would make a future rink possible, but wasn't prepared to cough up the funds to build the rink yet. That project was expected to be finished by last summer, but work is still underway.

Council approved setting aside $5.4 million to add the outdoor rink to its ongoing construction. It's part of more than $15 million granted to the city for infrastructure from the provincial government earlier this year.

It was approved unanimously, with the exception of councillor Nancy Bepple, who is part of the outdoor skating society and recused herself from the vote.

Details of that plan haven't been released yet, but are expected when council formally adds the project to its budget.

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