FAIRFIELD — A synthetic ice rink open to the public is slated to be ready this weekend, town officials said.
The outdoor rink will be located right next to the Fairfield Community Center at 61 Water St., as volunteers prepared to spend most of Friday and Saturday preparing its opening.
“It’s great to see the ice rink finally come to town,” said Town Council Chairman Matthew Townsend.
The rink was moved from the Alfond Youth & Community Center in Waterville to the Community Center in Fairfield early Wednesday morning, Town Manager Michelle Flewelling wrote in an email. The plan is to have volunteers work on cleaning the area and getting the synthetic ice rink ready for public use, she said.
The rink is 40 feet wide by 70 feet long, with a total area of 2,500 square feet.
The Central Maine Youth Hockey Association and the town of Fairfield will have the rink under an agreement that will run through June 30.
The town will also have to insure the rink for its full replacement value of $59,000, as per the agreement. The total budget for the ice rink is estimated to be around $30,000 and the association will consider selling the rink to the town at the same price post June.
Plans to have the ice rink installed earlier this winter took a backseat due to the December storm. However, since the rink material is synthetic, the installation should be easier without having to wait for ice to be formed, Flewelling said.
Though the rink will be open to the public this weekend, the town plans to host an official ceremonial opening on Feb. 17 at 1 p.m., Townsend said Friday. “We hope to have a community gathering for folks to come down and celebrate,” he said.
Residents must bring their own ice skates to use at the rink. However, the town expects to eventually lend out skates to those who don’t have a pair, Townsend said. Additionally, town officials hope to later add a warming hut near the community center.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.