DeKalb residents with nothing to do should stop complaining and visit the brand new skating rink that opened on Thanksgiving in downtown DeKalb. The city needs all the help it can get; with a price tag of over $50,000, it will take a lot of $4 admission wristbands to earn the funds that purchased the rink.

While every city surely desires to capture the glamorous atmosphere that draws suburbanites to ice skate in Chicago, it was poor judgment by the DeKalb aldermen who approved the rink. Such a substantial amount of money should have been reserved for projects with more necessity.

Seventh ward alderman Brent Keller said the idea for the rink came from a Re:New DeKalb survey that found residents thought there weren’t enough family activities in the downtown area.

“I think that tying a skating rink to a survey saying we need more winter activities seems wrong, and I honestly don’t see many people using it,” said Keller.

“I voted against it because at a time when we have other financial priorities like the capital fund and the public safety fund, it didn’t seem terribly appropriate,” said Keller.

The money for the rink was taken from the capital improvements fund which covers projects such as upgrading crosswalks and street repair.

Drawing money from a fund that also covers necessary improvements for a frivolous expense is unbalanced.

Keller, an NIU student, feels his vote represented how the students in his ward feel about the new rink.

“Most of the students who I talked to said that it seems like an unnecessary expense,” said Keller.

College students have an accurate idea of how to budget money, as they manage their own strict budgets.

“It’s their right to not want to allocate money to an unsound project,” said Keller.

Students aren’t the only citizens who appreciate the dire financial situation.

“At this point it’s no secret that a skating rink isn’t an appropriate use of funds, particularly in a year they are calling a budget crisis year,” said mayoral candidate Lynn Fazekas.

Budget crisis or not, the city should be more thoughtful with its money and Re:New DeKalb should work on improving the overall aesthetic value of the city instead of funding unstable projects.

The Re:New DeKalb initiative has obvious benefits, but projects should be taken with more consideration.

Hopefully citizens utilize the rink to its fullest extent this winter so the city will begin to make back the money it spent on the project.