Local mother Colee Adolph said “it’s awesome” the city is providing a free place for her kids to skate. "It's important to note that if you're not on the street or in a building, you're probably in a park," said Josh Morrisey, the marketing assistant for Spokane Parks and Recreation. "This shows how important green spaces are. It's a fundamental necessity in life to have places to relax, recreate and enjoy nature." Opening week launched many new activities, including a free bounce house for children and sidewalk games for all to enjoy, such as cornhole and life-size board games. Moog also added that there will be a piano left in the park for visiting musicians as well as musically inclined park goers. Morrisey said he agreed with Moog in that the number of visitors to the rink should only increase as the weather becomes sunnier. "[Rollerblading] has only been open to the public for a couple of days with bad weather and we've already had tons of people using it," said Morrisey. Morrisey, who had the chance to try out the rink before it opened to the public, believes that the surface of the rink lends itself well to the use of wheels. As for the transformation from ice to concrete, the City of Spokane only made small modifications to the makeup of the ribbon. "In the design of the ribbon, there were expansion joints included for the concrete slabs," said Moog. Concrete commonly changes size as its temperature rises and drops. "We were able to close the gaps while allowing the concrete to expand and contract," continued Moog. "[Rollerblading] has only been open to the public for a couple of days with bad weather and we've already had tons of people using it." Moog also said the city slightly modified the dasher boards that surround the ice. "Dasher board" is a hockey term used for the glass walls that surround the ice. "We removed a couple of [the dasher boards] so the concrete would continue to expand as the temperature rises without cracking and damaging itself."
Riverfront Park will also be offering other free events throughout the spring months, including weekly magic shows, exercise classes, and many arts and craft classes sponsored by the Spokane Art School. Family fun activities are also offered every Sunday, including parkour lessons for children. "The best things in life are free, and at least for parks that's totally true," Morrisey said. He added the free admission in the spring is largely due to the lesser cost of concrete maintenance in comparison to ice maintenance. Moog said he hopes the park will help stimulate economic growth and prosperity downtown, especially with the addition of these many new attractions and events. Visitor rates are expected to increase, and crime rates are expected to go down, he said. "When people are in the park, it becomes safer," said Moog. "Less bad things happen, less criminals are there when good people are around." Riverfront Park is operated and overseen by the City of Spokane, which results in it being treated and maintained the same as other parks in the city-limits. Moog said he believes the utilization of parks increases the quality of life for the citizens of Spokane, as well as gives recreational opportunities for visitors.
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