This winter will be more isolated than most because of Covid-19, but there’ll be one new bright spot: a town skating rink.
The Parks and Recreation Department is using $3,500 from its celebrations fund to purchase a 30-by-60-foot skating rink and expects it to be delivered in January. Staff will set it up behind Town Hall adjacent to the soccer field and, weather permitting, they’ll fill it with water to make it available for skating as soon as possible.
Details are still being worked out, but there was discussion of requiring visits to be reserved online to limit capacity as demanded by the pandemic. The rink will be used for both hockey and figure skating, though players will have to bring their own nets.
As far as maintenance goes, “it will be very similar to how backyard rinks are maintained — a labor of love by a group of volunteers,” said Parks and Recreation Commission member Rob Stringer. “When it snows, we’ll shovel it off; when the ice gets uneven we will spray it with additional water to freeze in a smooth surface.
The rink will have its permanent home once the sport court and parking lot next to the Brooks gym are not in use by the school construction project. The sport court has lights so residents can use it after dark.
“We’re excited to use the ice rink for this winter and many years to come,” said David Sequeira, acting director of Parks and Rec.
“We’re looking forward to having a rink now that the weather is cold enough, and I hope the community enjoys it enough to make it an annual facility,” Stringer said.
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