The city of Lawrence’s synthetic skating rink appears to be on thin ice.

After generating about $26,000 in its first season — the winter of 2014-15 — the rink produced just $9,000 last winter. Rink revenues weren’t even half the operating costs, which include about $13,000 for staff and about $10,000 in setup costs.

Mark Hecker, assistant director of Parks and Recreation for the city, blamed weather for much of the drop-off in participation. “If it’s too hot or too cold, people don’t want to skate,” he said. “We had warmer temperatures early last year, and then it got really cold in January.”

So, what Hecker is saying the rink needs to be successful is a string of consistent winter weather in which it’s neither too cold nor too hot in Kansas? That shouldn’t be a problem to dial up.

In all seriousness, while the skating rink was a good idea to try, it simply may not be the downtown attraction that officials had hoped it would be.

First, Hecker is right about the weather. Lawrence’s climate simply may not be able to support a rink.

Second, the synthetic ice the rink uses has proved to be a less appealing experience than skating on real ice. It’s hard to glide on the plastic pieces that fit together and make up the rink installed outside the Lawrence Public Library.

City officials hope that by adding events and attractions, mostly focused on kids, they can boost rink attendance this winter. That’s certainly worth a try. And there’s no rule that says a city amenity must be profitable. Residents may feel strongly enough about having a rink downtown that they are willing to lose $10,000 or so each year on its operation.

But it’s difficult to believe that’s the case. In its first year, the rink was marginally successful. Participation dropped off by more than 50 percent in the second year. If the rink can’t perform better in its third season, maybe it’s simply an idea that isn’t worth continuing.