It was just a few years ago when the Baltimore Banners hockey team was welcoming Mayor Brandon Scott to its home ice at Mimi DiPietro Family Skating Center in Patterson Park. Before the mayor was set to arrive, so did the rain.
It poured so hard that when the team got there, water was leaking through the roof into the lobby of the building.
Mishaps happen at Mimi DiPietro. When the Banners hoped to host their first practice of this season on home ice on Jan. 3, an electrical issue kept the rink closed. That’s life in a facility that, Jack Burton recognizes, is more or less on its last legs.
“That wasn’t the first time something silly happened, but hopefully it’s one of the last,” said Burton, one of the Banners’ coaches. “I can’t guarantee that I’m going to walk into the rink without incident on Saturday, but I’m feeling pretty positive about it.”
This weekend, the creaky, well-worn rink has to be looking and operating at its best. The Banners are trying to save it, after all.
The team will hold an 11 a.m. Save The Rink Rally on Saturday, inviting community members and elected leaders to experience one of the city’s two ice rinks at its liveliest, and hoping that a Hail Mary can save it. Baltimore’s recreation and parks department announced in November that this season will be the center’s last, but the Banners and other supporters of the rink are hoping there are a few more years left.
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The team will have influential supporters at the rally, including Senate President Bill Ferguson, who lives near the park. It’ll take some heroics to save the rink, but those who skate there hope some saviors will show up this weekend.
“The Mimi DiPietro Family Skating Center has been a Baltimore institution and community hub for decades,” Ferguson said in a statement to The Baltimore Banner. “I’m excited to join the Baltimore Banners this Saturday and make clear that Maryland supports the rink and the young people who call it home.”
Ferguson is one of a cadre of elected leaders trying to see if they can help keep the rink open. The Banners have also worked closely with City Councilman Mark Parker to draw attention to their plight.
The Banners are largely made up of Black kids from low-income neighborhoods in East Baltimore, and volunteer coaches provide rides to practice for every single player. When the team plays and practices in Patterson Park, they can store their equipment at the Dome, and many of the players can walk to and from their homes.
If the Banners have to relocate their practices to the Mt. Pleasant Ice Arena (which they have done intermittently the past few years due to delayed openings for the rink), it will greatly reduce the participation in their program — a potentially existential issue for the Banners and the Tender Bridge program that has run the team the last two decades.
The primary issue that delayed the rink’s opening this season was the pumping room, which supplies ammonia and glycol to keep the ice cold. One of the wall’s foundations sank between seasons, threatening the integrity of the pumps running into the Dome. The Banners hope their rally can whip up the funds to help repair the foundation, working in partnership with the city’s rec and parks department, which has to contract out the soil analysis and engineering.
The delayed opening and the announcement that it was closing were wake-up calls to the Banners and others who care about the facility. There is no plan in place for constructing a new city-run ice rink. The city has estimated that it could cost between $5 million and $10 million to build, but realistically, that estimate could rise quickly.
A short-term fix to the Dome could be considerably less expensive. The Banners say they have consulted with a firm that estimates the pumping room repairs could be done for less than half a million dollars and potentially give them 5-10 more years at the facility.
However, the rink’s future is completely at the discretion of the city, and their determination of the rink’s viability will be what ultimately matters.
In addition to the logistical advantages, Mimi DiPietro is a sentimental home for the team, and they hope that they can buy the Dome a few more years and give the city more runway to plan for a new rink.
“It was a kick in the ass for anybody that cares about that rink,” said Burton, who also serves as executive director of Tender Bridge. “This rink is closing, there is no plan B — that’s what got people to jump up and do something about this. You’re not gonna be able to do all the things you need to do to build a new rink in three months’ time. That’s gonna be a big effort, and we’re hoping keeping Mimi open can help buy some time to get it done.”
On Thursday, the Banners had a team run-through of how they’ll talk to the crowd that shows up to Saturday’s game and fundraiser, practicing how to publicly express their passion for, and devotion to, their home ice that they hope can last a little bit longer.
“Saturday’s gonna be a great display that it can still get bumping in there, that Mimi can still be a great environment,” Burton said. “We’re just trying to get a little revitalization while it’s on its last legs.”
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