DAPHNE, Ala.—Olde Towne Daphne resident Jolee Havard at the City Council’s regular meeting Monday stated her case against the repainted exterior of a skating rink.

“I’ve lived there pretty much since I was 3 years old,” Havard said during public participation, referring to a neighborhood directly across from Hot Wheels Skate Center on Whispering Pines Road and Main Street.

“It’s just not right to be purple (and) neon green,” she said. “This is Scenic 98.”

The majority of the neighborhood seems to fit a particular design; old brick buildings line the street and set a certain atmosphere.

Skating rink owners last month painted a two-tone, purple-and-blue exterior split by a white shock, with a neon green façade.

“When I came home from work one day, there was just this thing,” Havard said, referring to the freshly-painted building.

“It’s just not right,” she added. “Now, I have this monster across the street.”

Other residents agree, according to Mayor Fred Small, who at a council meeting last month said he’s fielded similar complaints.

Owner Terry Eady, who purchased the 30-year-old business last year, believes differently.

“To me, it looks better now than it did before,” he said, adding that he thinks the new colors help attract people to the rink—which ultimately helps schools. 

Eady said he runs charitable programs through the skating rink with schools such as Spanish Fort and Loxley elementary and W.J. Carroll Intermediate; such fundraisers have netted almost $100,000 since he took over the rink’s operations.

“We charge each kid $3 to come in,” he said. “I then give every dime back to the school.”

The council has considered forming an architectural review board that, if established, would handle matters such as embattled aesthetics.

Meantime, Council President John Lake recommended that  vegetation shielding be installed between the skating rink and the neighboring Daphne Public Library.

In other business:

The council will allocate funds from their training budgets and community contributions.

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