SALEM — Free public ice skating could come to Salem Common this winter — if Mother Nature cooperates.
The city hopes to set up a 50-by-100-foot rink in the middle of the Common, flood it with a few inches of water and allow the public to skate free of charge.
The concept is similar to that of the Frog Pond in Boston, only with no cost to skate. The rink could hold about 50 skaters.
"We definitely want to give it a shot," said Doug Bollen, head of the city's Recreation Department.
But the plan also hinges on the unpredictability of New England weather. The city actually bought the rink last year but was never able to install it because the weather never remained cold enough. Since then, the rink has sat in storage.
Bollen said temperatures have to be in the teens for 10 to 12 days for the water to transform into a rink that can support public skating.
"We're ready to go," Bollen said. "It all depends on the weather."
The rink would probably be placed in the middle of the Common, close to the flagpole. The lighting already on the Common should be bright enough to allow nighttime skating, Bollen said.
The rink cost $3,000, which the Recreation Department raised through program fees.
"A lot of people were disappointed they weren't able to use it (last year)," said Michael Coleman, president of the Salem Common Neighborhood Association. "It'll be an asset to the neighborhood and to people who want to stop by and visit our neighborhood."
Already, residents occasionally use the Common for cross-country skiing, Bollen said.
"It'll be a full winter wonderland," he said.
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