The board of the Vermeer Charitable Foundation recently awarded Spirit of Pella a $100,000 grant to jumpstart the purchase of an ice rink chiller targeted for installation at Pella’s Caldwell Park once the remaining $400,000 for the project can be raised.

“We are deeply grateful to the Vermeer Charitable Foundation for recognizing the opportunity to support such an exciting new amenity for Pella residents and visitors of all ages,” said Bob Zylstra, Spirit of Pella board member and chair of the group’s Placemaking Committee. “Ice skating has long been a popular activity in the Upper Midwest, and that’s absolutely true in Pella. But recently, we’ve experienced sustained below-zero temperatures only long enough to offer a couple of skating days each year,” Zylstra explained.

Caldwell Park’s current 50 x 120-foot ice rink backerboard system was first installed in 2017. The rink’s opening date is entirely weather dependent because ice is built up over several days using a water layering system. To build ice, Pella’s park staff members need a minimum of four consecutive days with temperatures below 32 degrees and no anticipated temperatures above 45 degrees in the 14-day forecast. The chiller will create and maintain ice whenever average daytime temperatures are below 50 degrees.

“The Vermeer Charitable Foundation has been one of our organization’s most enthusiastic supporters and generous benefactors since we launched in 2021,” said Spirit of Pella President Christi Vander Voort. “From the beginning, members of that board have recognized the very real value of our mission to bring people together in celebration of this remarkable community. Their support is a clear indication that they believe deeply what’s good for Pella is good for Vermeer.”

Spirit of Pella board member Kyle Nelson chairs the group’s Fundraising Committee. The group is also submitting several grant applications and planning fundraising events over the next several months, hoping to raise the full $500,000 for the project by mid-summer. Chiller equipment will then be purchased, installed and then donated to the City of Pella which will manage and maintain the rink.

Visit spiritofpella.org/donate to contribute. Hear more about the project on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.