Warm temperatures forced Roosevelt Park Family Ice Skating Rink to close on Thursday, even after crews worked late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning to try prepare the ice,
EDISON -- Christmas Eve is usually one of the busiest nights of the year at the outdoor Roosevelt Park Family Ice Skating Rink in Edison.
But theres a problem at the outdoor skating rink this year, the park's employees say.
The ice keeps melting.
"It's not safe to have people out there," said Gregg Christopher, the park's assistant supervisor.
Unseasonably warm temperatures forced the park to close the skating rink on Thursday even after crews worked late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning to try prepare the ice, Christopher said.
Workers used a Zamboni to clean up rain water that had fallen on Wednesday, and, at one point, had the rink ready for use, Christopher said. But as temperatures Thursday rose above 65 degrees -- the point when the rink's ice begins to melt -- the top 1/8 inch of ice turned to water, he said.
Despite the Christmas Eve closure, the parks hopes to have the rink ready for Saturday morning, so kids who get new skates for Christmas have a place to go, Christopher said.
"We've done everything we can do," he said. "It's all in Mother Nature's hands now."
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