After years of acrimony between the city of Alexandria, which is the landowner, and Nova Parks, which operates the water park, the two parties have agreed to add activities for the nine months of the year the pools are closed.

The $800,000 rink and light show will be installed this fall at Cameron Run Regional Park, a 26-acre site where Great Waves Waterpark operates. Nova Parks, formerly known as the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, plans to have it up and running Nov. 15.

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Alexandria is also planning to add a temporary small soccer field called a “futsal” court as well as basketball and tennis courts on the existing parking lot, but that’s probably a year away, said Jack Browand, division chief for the city’s recreation, parks and cultural activities.

The court, which comes in a kit that city employees would assemble, is about the size of a hockey rink, Browand said, and the department would request city funds for its purchase next summer.

“We ended up coming to a place where in the future, the city wants to see something different on that site . . . but our ability to pay for it is going to be very limited in the near term,” said Mayor Justin Wilson (D). “We set the table that eventually the city will take the site back, but nobody wants to see the site shuttered while we think about what will go there . . . and we’re not in a position to fund anything big and dramatic today.”

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The park authority’s first proposal in 2016 to tie a lease extension to the purchase of a historic home in Old Town did not sit well with the City Council. Subsequent discussions led to threats to withdraw from the 60-year regional parks alliance before both parties came to an agreement last winter in which Nova Parks got a 10-year lease extension as long as it gets winter activities underway.

“We are hearing from the city that they want it to be more of a year-round park,” said Paul Gilbert, the executive director of Nova Parks. “The best way is to do multiple seasonal activities.”

The authority feels confident that the combination of a new 55-by-80-foot ice rink and a “winter wonderland” of lighted trees, artificial snowfall, fire pits and hot drinks will draw a substantial crowd through November, December and January.

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That confidence comes from operating two similar holiday light shows: a drive-through display at Bull Run Regional Park, which draws about 40,000 vehicles per year, and another at Vienna’s Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, which draws 70,000 walkers.

The “village” will close in early January; the rink will stay open through February. It takes a month to disassemble the rink, and then it’s time for the existing batting cages and mini-golf course to reopen.

“As a mother of three, I’m always looking for that family activity in a safe environment in winter,” said Blythe B. Russian, the park operations superintendent. “This is the place you’ll want to go for your holiday card photos . . . and the cost will be similar to taking the family to a movie.”

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General admission for all ages will be $5; skaters will pay an additional $8, and skate rentals will be available for $4. Children under 2 will be admitted free.