Ice Sure Looks Inviting — Not!

Got skates?

If you do, Greenwich fire officials say you're better off stretching those skating legs at a private skating arena rather than the inviting ice of local ponds and rivers.

Deputy Greenwich Fire Chief Tom Nixon said that despite the below-zero wind chills, there isn't any guarantee that ponds such as the ones in Binney or Bruce parks or even Caroline Pond, where the Byram River creates a placid pond along Caroline Place in the western end of town, will be safe for ice skating.

"I wouldn't say that any body of water is safe. Number 1, quite a few are posted with signage from the town that they are not safe for skating, especially with the temperatures starting to warm up" said Nixon. 

"(Residents) should not enter the ice and get themselves into a situation to endanger themselves and endanger the people who think they are going to help them," Nixon said.

Unsafe skating signs are posted at popular spots throughout town including Binney Park, Bruce Park and the Mianus River in Cos Cob, Nixon said.

However, late Thursday afternoon, a knot of a half-dozen skaters glided and scraped their way across the ice of Caroline Pond in the Pemberwick section of Greenwich. The sounds of the puck being slapped by hockey sticks resonated across the ice as the rosy-cheeked teens scrimmaged.

"The safest bet is if you want to skate, go to one of the public skating rinks," Nixon advised.