The homemade ice rink in the South Fargo neighborhood has to be removed

Fargo, North Dakota – On December 22, a South Fargo community was forced to demolish their makeshift ice skating rink.

A chunk of ice is melting where the rink previously was.

The parents claim that their cul-de-sac on Crofton Lane seemed to be the ideal location for their children to skate. Not every neighbor, though, shared that opinion.

According to Ben Dow, Director of Fargo Public Works, “We were made aware of it through a property owner that lives in that cul-de-sac. They called us and said they were concerned.”

The city decided the ice rink had to be removed as soon as they learned about it.

“It comes down to that liability issue again, that was one of those things that we did not, as a city, we proably shouldn’t be allowing until we have an agreement in place, a license agreement and some liabilty insurance in place,” explains Dow.

The city claims that although they were unable to forcibly remove the homemade ice rink from city-owned property, they sent police officers to the neighborhood last week to speak with the parents about the concerns around it.

Brenda Derrig, assistant city administrator, states that “a discussion with city staff is necessary to determine if there is a path forward.”

The rink continued to be utilized, so early this week the city posted a notice next to it, and with the assistance of Fargo Public Works, it was taken down.

“We’re here to do what we were told,” a Fargo Public Works employee can be heard in a video shared with us from a parent as the rink was being brought down.

The city claims that the rink’s removal was necessary due to issues with managing liability and snow removal.

In contrast, the City of West Fargo states that obtaining a permit would require contacting city hall for anyone wishing to construct their ice rink.