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South Haven Today
By the People, for the People
South Haven Ice Rink to Undergo Improvements
City council approves $2 million in bonds to fund upgrades to the popular seasonal attraction.
Published on Feb. 5, 2026
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The South Haven City Council has approved the issuance of downtown development and refund bonds to pay for approximately $2 million in improvements to the South Haven Ice Rink. The upgrades will include sinking new concrete chilling elements into the ground, eliminating the need to build a large gravel base and install new coils each year, resulting in savings on maintenance and staff time. The project is expected to be completed before the end of June, with the farmers market potentially relocating to Dyckman Park for a couple of weeks during construction.
Why it matters
The South Haven Ice Rink is a popular seasonal attraction that draws visitors to the downtown area. These upgrades will make the rink more efficient to operate and maintain, potentially allowing the city to extend the skating season or offer additional programming. The improvements also coincide with parking enhancements at the rink site, further improving the overall visitor experience.
The details
The planned improvements include sinking new concrete chilling elements into the ground, eliminating the need to build a large gravel base and install new coils each year. This will result in significant savings on maintenance and staff time required to set up and take down the rink annually. The project will also include some parking improvements at the rink site.
- The city council approved the bonding resolution this week.
- The plan is to begin removals immediately after the ice rink is taken off, with the goal of having the project wrapped up before the end of June.
The players
Kate Hosier
The City Manager of South Haven, who presented the details of the ice rink improvement project to the city council.
South Haven City Council
The governing body that approved the issuance of $2 million in bonds to fund the ice rink improvements.
What they’re saying
“As we know, we have a very well-received ice rink that takes a lot of time and effort to construct each fall and a lot of time and effort to deconstruct each spring. These improvements are looking to sink into new concrete the chilling elements, so that we do not have to build such a large gravel base as well as new coils every year.”
— Kate Hosier, City Manager (moodyonthemarket.com)
“The plan is to have the project wrapped up before the majority of summer. There may be a couple weeks where the farmer's market may be in Dyckman Park, but the plan is to get this done as soon as possible, so it will be wrapped up before, I think, June 30.”
— Kate Hosier, City Manager (moodyonthemarket.com)
What’s next
The city will now seek up to $2 million in bonds to fund the ice rink improvements, while also refunding some existing DDA bonds to save between $24,000 and $26,000.
The takeaway
The planned upgrades to the South Haven Ice Rink demonstrate the city's commitment to maintaining and enhancing its popular seasonal attractions. By making the rink more efficient to operate, the city can potentially extend the skating season or offer additional programming, further driving economic activity in the downtown area.
