Since March, Oregon Ice Entertainment (OIE) has been a valued partner in the battle against the Covid 19 virus. OIE instituted protocols more stringent than the State requirement for schools,restaurants, hair salons, and prisons. We also implemented a contact tracing system, which will identify all contacts of a customer with in 15 minutes. You could ask why a business would do that, because it is the right thing to do.

During the time since March, we requested the State to follow the science. It is a fact that the covid Virus cannot exist in an environment below freezing. The ice in an ice rink is at -8 °C. In addition, an ice rink must have an ACPH double or even triple of what the State is accepting from school districts in their reopening plans.

We have begged, pleaded, sent emails and left countless voice mails asking for a hearing to share our knowledge about the science of operating an ice rink. The silence from the State has been deafening. During this time, there has been 12,332 entrances into the Sherwood Ice arena. There has not been Covid origination nor spreading occurrence at the rink while our employees (none test positive for the virus), happy to be at work, fighting Covid.

The State on the 17th of December forced the Sherwood Ice Rink to permanently close laying off17 employees.. This comes 7 days before Christmas. Iam sure the government employees will be having a joyous holiday season. OIE also had to inform our customers they could no longer use our facility to “escape” from the realities of Covid.

OIE only wanted to provide a safe outlet for a community, that has largely been ignored and forgotten by the State. The notice sent to the rink, would be a $70,000 per day fine unless we closed. There were no options offered.

By forcing the rink to close the State is not reducing the spread of Covid, but promoting the at home social gatherings. This we all know are super spreader activities.

This all could have been avoided if the State of Oregon would have followed the Science and listened to their constituents.

Regretfully,

Owner Sherwood Ice Arena

Roy macMillan