When To Stay Off College Pond Ice: A Signage Review
Please note: this story has been updated as Tuesday January 26 at 12:45 pm. The Owl is not going to monitor ice conditions at College Pond so is clarifying the post.
On Monday morning January 25, Weston’s Recreation Department sent out communications by email and social media that College Pond was closed for ice skating. When it is closed, there is a large red sign that says “Danger. No ice skating”. I will presume that any folks who are out behind that sign either don’t know what an ice skate with a red line through it means or they have always wanted to meet the fire department and/or the police department. There is a reason for that signage even though it is a drag…
Last March, Captain (now Acting Chief) Tom Kelly of Weston Police had to rescue two dogs and their owner from Hobbs Pond at Cat Rock Park. It was not fun–or so I infer from his interview last year on the Owl. The people most likely to come out on rescues are fire department personnel…Don’t make the E-One fire trucks come out with their blimpy raft to save you. It’s embarrassing…and dangerous. Don’t be like Arlington or Lexington…you can read about recent rescues there. Our fire department has better things to do, at least according to Tacoma FD, still on HBO Max, still amusing me every single time.
You can find current conditions on the Weston town website or on Recreation’s facebook page. You can also look for the signage. Skate when you can, skip it if the Danger sign is up. Or just “you do you.” Pass the hot chocolate (sorry, warming hut is for sure closed this season).
Stay safe, Weston and visitors.
Hello Owl; 50+ skaters (mostly hockey) were on College Pond last Saturday morning. They included at least one hockey coach from a local university. There was no falling in. This would seem to prove the ice to be safe. I know this is backwards from ideal practice, but one gets the impression that the officials aren’t testing if they haven’t opened the pond.
Yes, I am fully aware of the skaters as people send me photos. I am not the arbiter of ice but I will tell you that it’s a slippery slope (haha) when one decides one knows more than the officials. I shall mention your feedback to Recreation.
I would not have said “Still Closed” in a Tuesday headline, like it’s been closed for a while, and anyone who has been on the ice recently is a self-centered scoff-law. As of 4:00pm Monday (1/24) there was a big sandwich sign next to the warming hut that said “Skate at Your Own Risk”, so I did. Seems more likely that, after a weekend of cold temps and great conditions, the Rec Dept. saw Tuesday’s warmer forecast, closed the ice and sent out the notice. If it’s closed, it’s closed, but it may not have been as closed a some people are leading you to believe.
Noted. I shall edit so no one gets crazy. When I was there on Tuesday, there were five people on the ice right behind the sign that says danger no skating. It is all a matter of timing, no? And liability.