ODESSA, Texas — The ice rink at Music City Mall is a staple in West Texas. It's one of the only ice rinks in the region.
"About three weeks ago the refrigeration system, the compressors, they just died," Larry Langford, a skating instructor at MCM Ice, said. "After all these years they finally died. When you don't have any refrigeration you go from an ice rink, to a wading pool, to concrete."
A spokesperson for Music City Mall tells NewsWest 9 they are in the process of getting bids to determine next steps for the ice rink.
Mall officials tell us that anything that is done at MCM Ice will take time due to the continued supply chain disruptions.
"We are not thinking about any retail store at MCM Ice, we are trying to go with something recreational," Matt Rist, Spokesperson for Music City Mall said. "We will decide as soon as we can. We can’t speculate until we know more from the bidding process."
In a social media post shared by the Odessa Jackalopes, they express how this rink has served "as a home away from home."
In the same post, they also stated their support for a petition that has been going around the community to preserve the ice rink. At the moment, the petition has over 1,000 signatures.
"I would just hope that everyone would support the idea of putting it back in. It's not cheap but it's a wonderful thing for the community," Langford said.