New Wheaton Park District pond available for ice skating — if water freezes

If temperatures dip low enough again, Wheaton residents will have a new pond to skate on this winter in the Arrowhead subdivision.

Wheaton Park District recently announced it is leasing Bestler's Pond from a resident for a year. The pond is located on about three acres at 26W108 Tomahawk Drive, across the street from the park district-run Arrowhead Park and adjacent the Illinois Prairie Path.

Rob Sperl, director of parks and planning, said the rink currently isn't frozen because of the warm temperatures, but if it freezes again, park district staff will maintain it for ice skating, with sweeping, resurfacing and snow removal as needed.

“It's just another opportunity we have this time of year, when the typical recreation outlets are few and far between,” he said.

Several trees have been cleared out of the area to make it easier to access the water and there are plans to replace the existing benches around the pond, Sperl said. The park district also is exploring fishing opportunities on the pond in summer.

Each of the park district's ponds have different environmental characteristics that contribute to how well they freeze over, but Sperl said when it is cold enough, Bestler's “seems to be better quality ice than we have in other places.”

Bestler's Pond is one of eight ice rinks maintained by the park district. All rinks are monitored daily and flags are posted to let skaters know when it is safe to get on the ice. Ice must be at least eight inches thick for ice skating to be allowed. To check ice conditions, visit the park district's website or rainoutline.com.