City of Coon Rapids seeks seasonal warming house attendants for 2025–2026 winter rink season

The City of Coon Rapids is hiring seasonal, part time Warming House Attendants to staff its outdoor skating rinks during the 2025–2026 winter season, a role that plays a quiet but essential part in maintaining safe, accessible winter recreation across the city.

According to the city’s official job posting, attendants are expected to work approximately 15 to 20 hours per week through February 23, 2026, weather permitting. The position is housed within the Parks and Recreation Department and supports the city’s network of neighborhood rinks and warming house facilities.

Pay, schedule, and seasonal structure

The City of Coon Rapids lists the hourly pay range for the position at approximately $13 to $15 per hour, depending on qualifications and experience. The role is classified as entry level and is frequently filled by high school and college students, as well as residents seeking short term winter employment.

Work hours are concentrated during peak skating times, particularly evenings and weekends. Typical shifts follow this structure:

• Monday through Friday: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Saturday: 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., including school closure days
• Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Warming houses are generally closed on major holidays and during periods of extreme cold.

Core responsibilities and daily operations

Warming House Attendants serve as the primary on site staff at outdoor rinks. Their responsibilities combine customer service, safety oversight, light facility maintenance, and basic administrative reporting.

According to the city’s posting, duties include opening and closing warming house facilities, enforcing rink rules and policies, assisting skaters of all ages, and supporting scheduled special activities such as family skate nights or youth focused events.

Attendants are also responsible for documenting attendance, reporting maintenance issues, and completing incident or injury reports when necessary. Inside the warming house, staff handle routine cleaning tasks such as sweeping floors and maintaining restrooms. Outdoors, they may shovel walkways, clear entrances, and monitor ice conditions for safety concerns.

City materials emphasize that attendants are often the first line of defense against vandalism or misuse of facilities and play a key role in preserving public spaces during the winter season.

Qualifications and physical demands

Applicants must be at least 16 years old. The city describes the ideal candidate as reliable, organized, and comfortable interacting with the public in a supervisory setting.

Because the work takes place outdoors in winter conditions, the job includes physical requirements such as lifting or carrying items weighing up to 50 pounds and performing tasks like snow removal. Basic first aid knowledge is considered a plus, and some seasonal employees may receive CPR or AED training as part of orientation.

All finalists are required to pass a background check prior to employment.

Weather and safety protocols

Because rink operations are weather dependent, the City of Coon Rapids follows specific cold weather safety thresholds. Warming houses typically close when air temperatures fall to minus five degrees Fahrenheit or when wind chills reach minus twenty degrees Fahrenheit.

The outdoor rink season generally begins in mid to late December, once ice thickness meets safety standards, and runs through late February.

Application details

The Warming House Attendant position is a seasonal, part time role and does not include city benefits such as health insurance or retirement coverage.

Applications are being accepted through the City of Coon Rapids hiring portal hosted on GovernmentJobs.com. Interested candidates can apply online here:

For residents, the role offers more than a paycheck. It provides a front row seat to one of Minnesota’s most enduring winter traditions and a chance to support safe, welcoming community spaces during the coldest months of the year.

MinneapoliMedia