What part do you disagree with? The fact that growing up the parents of my teams maintained the rinks? Maybe that the Mayasich’s, Broten’s, and other families did the same for their kids? Or that the parents in the St. Paul Johnson area continue to take care of the rink like they have for 60+ years? Oh I know, it’s that you don’t think that other cities should follow their lead.

You state that the north metro cities have always maintained the rinks and they are no longer doing so. So basically, since it’s “always” been assumed that each city will maintain the rinks, if the the cities back out and don’t maintain the rinks no one else can?

When I grew up in St. Paul every rec center had a team. There were 12 to 14 as I recall. (I didn’t play for the vaunted Johnson/Phalen teams until later in my early teen years, BTW). The city of St. Paul wanted to scrap the hockey program altogether, of course for cost reasons.

The parents got together and raised the funds to keep the programs going. The parents of my rec center raised enough money through casino nights and other fundraisers to not only pay for the cost to play, but also to buy maintenance equipment like an enclosed riding tractor with sweeper brush. My point is when the city pulled out, the parents stepped in. If you’re familiar with that area of town you’ll know that the East Side of St. Paul if far from rich. Back then it was decidedly lower-middle class. Today, it is probably worse.

I agree that $18k annually to staff and maintain the rinks is a drop in the bucket of a $3.2 million park budget. I think you would agree with me that most city budgets are bloated with so many unnecessary items that when cuts do need to be made, it’s the “easy” items that get cut first. It isn’t a Pawlenty issue, it’s a combination of bloated budgets and less revenue.

Just like in the late 70’s and early 80’s, the city of St. Paul today still doesn’t have the money for a youth hockey program. Times are just as tough now as they were during the Carter administration. The problem now is that outside of a few areas like Johnson/Phalen there is zero parent support. No one is willing to step up and take the lead. (yes, there are changing demographics as well, but kids are kids).

The Iron Range cities have never had much money. What they lacked in money they more than made up for in parent support. It’s that lack of parent support in places like St. Paul, and not government budget cuts, that more than anything else has killed hockey.

If the parents of the cities where cuts are taking place don’t take action and get involved, they will run the risk of the same thing happening to them.