UTICA — Roscoe Conkling Park will soon see the return of ice skating as a dual-purpose ice rink and pickleball court will come to the foot of Val Bialas hills.

Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri announced on Wednesday that the ice rink and pickleball court is the latest of many additions to the city’s parks system, with funding allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The announcement comes as the mayor recently unveiled an inclusive playground for T.R. Proctor Park. Overall, the city has allocated over $20 million in ARPA funding to improve their parks system with repairs, upgrades and additions.

“Roscoe Conkling Park is going to be the place to go for family recreation, education and entertainment,” Palmieri said. “I’m excited about the impact this facility will have on residents and people that come to visit. We want to make a sustainable city that is fun to live in and fun to visit and this helps us achieve that goal.”

The ice rink and pickleball court will share a single location, with the court being converted to an ice rink during the fall and winter, then being covered to a pickleball court during the spring and summer.

The ice rink will feature clear boards, color-changing light an a chiller to ensure the ice is even and functional in all weather conditioning, while the pickleball courts will feature four courts with feature lights, bleachers and new landscaping to complement the tennis courts.

The facilities will be open for recreational skating and pickleball, allowing the public to enjoy the facilities and not worrying if organized sports will utilize them.

According to city officials, Val Bialas was once the heart of winter recreation in the city, with ski hills, sledding, ice skating and a ski chalet. With the combination of ice skating in the fall and winter, as well as pickleball in the spring and summer, city officials say past traditions can come back while also moving Utica into the future.

“People have often said ‘I remember when I used go skating at the Parkway, I remember when we used to go tobogganing, sledding, skiing.’ These are all things that will be reintroduced to our great city,” the mayor added.

Construction on the courts are expected to begin in the next few weeks, with an estimated completion by this fall.