The 14 electric bumper cars at the Greenwood Credit Union City Hall Plaza in Apponaug were bought with the calendar in mind. The Warwick Beacon reported this spring that the doughnut-shaped cars come with two kinds of wheels, so they can run year round on concrete or on ice. The plaza opened as a skating rink last December. Almost a year in, it runs as something closer to a four-season town square, and the cars are what tie the seasons together.
A Rink First, by Design and by Budget
Building the plaza took most of a decade. Warwick Post's timeline traces it to the Apponaug Circulator, which broke ground in August 2014 and opened to traffic in September 2017. The City Hall Annex closed in January 2018. Mayor Frank Picozzi announced the plaza plan in January 2022, Greenwood Credit Union's $300,000 naming sponsorship followed in October 2023, and ground broke in April 2024.
The finished project cost about $7.2 million. A $5 million federal grant secured by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse covered most of it, and city ARPA funds paid the rest, according to Warwick Post's coverage of the opening. City officials unveiled the rink on Dec. 3, 2025. The public got its first skate three days later at the Apponaug Winter Festival, where WPRI reported that skating ran free from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a nonperishable food donation.
That first winter went well. Between the Dec. 6 opening and the beginning of March, the rink drew 6,800 ticketed visitors and brought in $62,000, not counting sponsorship and naming-rights money. It did that even after losing hours to the record-breaking Blizzard of 2026 and a smaller January snowstorm.
"Certainly, in the beginning there's always excitement around something new," plaza manager Thomas Rourke told the Warwick Beacon. "However, I don't think this is a one-off. I think it will sustain."
The Number That Changed the Plan
Ice skating lasts about three months, and $62,000 is what the rink earned in that stretch. A paved rink in the middle of Apponaug would otherwise sit empty for the other nine.
The City Council approved the bumper cars on a $123,590 bid. Rourke estimated that the cars alone could bring in $225,000 over a full year of use, the Beacon reported. On that estimate, the attraction meant to earn the most was the one that never has to shut down for the season.
Roller skating filled in alongside the cars. Rourke's plan for summer and the shoulder months put bumper cars at the start of the plaza's hours and roller skating in the evening. He also hoped to add pop-up craft fairs and farmers markets, and told the Warwick Beacon that "some sort of fall festival would be nice."
What the Off-Season Actually Looked Like
The year-round idea held up once people showed up. Here is the plaza's 2026 so far, as reported:
- June 19, end of the school year. The new bumper cars and roller skating ran next to bounce houses, food trucks, a DJ, glitter tattoos, balloon art and face painting, the Beacon reported.
- Oct. 3, scarecrows. A build-your-own-scarecrow event sponsored by Child, Inc. took over the plaza.
- October trunk-or-treat. Launch Trampoline Park brought its mascot, Joey, Warwick police handed out candy, and game stations, food trucks, airbrush tattoos and bounce houses lined the edge of the rink. According to the Beacon, the line for the bumper cars wrapped around the outside of the rink.
The cars waiting at the end of that line weren't at the plaza when it opened last December.
November keeps going in the same direction. On Saturday, Nov. 14, from noon to 2 p.m., Warwick Girl Scout troops are holding a kickball tournament on the plaza and collecting nonperishable food, and the plaza's event page says everyone is welcome to stop by and donate.
Posted Rates Across All Three Surfaces
The plaza's website lists each activity's rates separately. These are the rates posted now:
| Activity | Admission | Rental or ride | Who provides rentals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice skating | $8 ages 13+, $5 discounted, free for 5 and under | $10 skate rental, skate aids free | Sandy Lane Sports, under city contract |
| Roller skating | $8 ages 13+, $5 discounted, free for 5 and under | $8 roller skates, $10 roller blades | Galactic Roller Disco |
| Bumper cars | No separate admission listed | $12 adults, $10 ages 12 and under, per 10 minutes | Plaza-operated |
The discounted rate covers children 6 to 12, seniors 62 and older, and military members and veterans with ID. The ice page adds students with valid ID. Card payments carry a 3% fee on both skating pages. The ice page lists skating Wednesday through Sunday in 1.5-hour sessions: 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, two evening sessions on Fridays, five back-to-back sessions from noon to 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and three Sunday sessions from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. On the roller side, free helmets, wrist guards and elbow and knee pads are handed out while supplies last.
Why the Plaza Rents Its Skates Instead of Owning Them
Splitting the work among vendors is deliberate. "Our main goal really is just trying to minimize expenses," Rourke told the Warwick Beacon. He described contracting out ice and roller skating, rather than having the city buy the equipment, as a way to save money.
That makes this winter a test. Sandy Lane Sports holds a two-year contract for ice skate rentals, and Rourke told the Warwick Beacon the city can reconsider moving that work in-house after the 2026-2027 season. "There's just a lot of discovery," he said. "Discovering what the residents like, what they don't like … will help shape us moving forward."
The plaza employs three full-time staff, with Rourke as the fourth, plus several part-time workers. How much this second winter brings in, compared with last winter's $62,000, will help decide who runs skate rentals after this season.
December in Apponaug Starts on an Early Saturday
The rink opened at the Apponaug Winter Festival, which has held to an early-December Saturday since it began. It ran Dec. 9, 2023, Dec. 7, 2024 and Dec. 6, 2025. In 2024 and 2025, festivalgoers parked off-site at Toll Gate High School and rode free shuttles in. In 2024, Warwick Post reported, the parade started at the Greenwich Avenue roundabout, ran east along the Circulator and south on Post Road, then turned west to City Hall. Last year's parade included schools, the fire and police departments, local businesses and Santa, along with face painting and hayrides. Everything was free except food trucks and skate rentals.
This year the first Saturday of December falls on Dec. 5. Warwick Center for the Arts has that date on its calendar as the Apponaug Winter Stroll, which it calls part of a village-wide winter event in Apponaug, according to its Patch listing.
The arts center at 3259 Post Road is a short walk down Post Road from City Hall. Its Annual Winter Market runs Nov. 28 through Dec. 19, Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. It's free to browse, and it sells handmade work by Rhode Island artists, most of it priced between $10 and $100. The market listing names ceramics, jewelry, knitwear, candles, ornaments, prints, photography, and wood, glass and metalwork. An artists' reception is set for opening day, Nov. 28. On Dec. 5, the market is open noon to 5 p.m. and adds kids' craft events.
For anyone who skated the plaza's first night last December, the rink's second winter, the arts center's market and the Dec. 5 stroll all fall within a few blocks of City Hall. In between, the bumper cars keep running.
If you follow how civic projects like City Hall Plaza change daily life in Apponaug, The Blackstone Team keeps a close eye on that kind of local detail across Warwick. When you want to talk about what changes in the village mean for your own plans, schedule a private market consultation with us.
