Montgomery County residents have been excited for a new ice skating rink slated to open by the end of November, but according to the city of Clarksville, it may not be opening on time.
A large area in downtown Clarksville has been under construction while the county mayor's office has prepared to open the Downtown Commons in the spring. It's an area that will accommodate certain events, like concerts, to get people to spend more time downtown.
In the meantime, Montgomery County officials were hoping to open an ice skating rink starting on November 24 for people to enjoy during the winter months.
On Friday, the construction team asked the city of Clarksville's building and codes department what the team would need to do to open on time, and that's when the county Mayor said he believes he was ambushed by the city.
"Two days later the city mayor issues a press release stating that they will not issue a certificate of occupancy. We haven't even really requested one, and yet they make this big media event out of it," said Mayor Jim Durrett, of Montgomery County.
But the city said that's not the case.
"We want to make it clear that we're not picking a fight with the county. This is all about safety," said Richard Stevens, City of Clarksville Communications Director.
Stevens said they sent a letter to the contractor denying the occupancy certificate, and five hours later, they issued the press release. The Mayor Durrett said that was not enough time for his office to review the letter.
The county has still been hoping to open the ice skating rink on November 24.
The city has received a letter from Montgomery Co. saying that they are willing to go through the proper procedures to open the rink on time pic.twitter.com/252wYtg7Fc
— Kimberly Davis (@NC5_KDavis) November 8, 2017
The city of Clarksville received a letter from Montgomery County Wednesday afternoon saying they will go through the proper procedures to open on time.
The city said they have been preparing a response.
