Owners Reconsider Closing Ice-Skating Rink

As the owners of Burbank’s Pickwick Ice Arena reconsider their decision to close the popular rink, skating enthusiasts plan to rally Saturday in a show of support for the landmark facility.

Pickwick General Manager Frank Silvio said the owners are having second thoughts about closing the arena and have hired contractors to inspect the aging facility to determine whether they can afford to renovate it.

Despite excellent business receipts, owners Walter and Edward Stavert announced last month that they planned to close the rink Sept. 30 because of major repair bills and rising liability insurance costs.

Since the announcement of the closure, skating enthusiasts have launched a campaign to halt--or at least delay--the demise of the rink, which is home to one of the most successful competitive skating clubs in the country and a popular practice arena for local hockey teams.

On Saturday, members of Save the Ice Committee are planning to hold their second rally, said Chairman John Halebian. The Staverts have been invited to attend the 10 a.m. rally at Buena Vista Park in Burbank in the hope that they will announce that the 29-year-old rink will remain open until regular patrons can find another arena.

Also this week, the Burbank Park and Recreation Board sent a letter to the Staverts asking if the board could help them keep the rink open.

“In view of your recent announcement anticipating the closure of the Pickwick Ice Arena, the members of the Burbank Park and Recreation Board would encourage you to reconsider that decision,” the letter from Chairman Edwin LaRocque read.

When the rink opened in 1961, it was a place where families and children came to glide casually across the ice. But casual skating has declined, and the arena now caters mostly to skaters in training and private clubs, which account for about 70% of Pickwick’s revenues.

The highly competitive Los Angeles Figure Skating Club, which has nurtured such Olympic skaters as Linda Fratianne, Tiffany Chin and Christopher Bowman, has been based at the rink since it opened.