The city of Syracuse plans to open a second ice skating rink next Monday, making the winter tradition more accessable to a handful more people.

Meacham Ice Rink on West Seneca Turnpike will open for four sessions each day of nine people maximum for now, to comply with the city gathering limit of 10 people. 

When people do make it to the ice, skating will cost $5 and skate rental will be an additional $5 if needed. Masks and gloves also must be worn at all times in order to comply with safety precautions surrounding the pandemic. 

Julie Lafave, the city's parks commissioner, says she understands the frustration many people are having as they struggle to secure a spot, but says if you want to have a better chance to lock down ice time, it's best to prepare before you even register.

"If you have a lot of people in your family or in your group, we recommend you create a profile in advance. If you want to go with five of your friends, go in the day before, create that profile where you have to put in all of your names and then have that profile ready so that when registration opens you're ready to go," said Lafave.

Meachem Ice Rink will open on Monday, December 28 with four skate times each day, the first of which is reserved for seniors. 

Registration opens at 8 a.m. each day on syracuse.recdesk.com