LYNDON, Vt. — Town officials have agreed to pay up to $25,000 for maintenance work in Lyndon’s ice rink, a step forward in efforts to save the only facility of its kind in the county.
Selectboard members approved the funding July 19. It comes as the nonprofit Rescue Ice Hockey in the Northeast Kingdom — RINK Inc., for short — works to take over operations at Fenton Chester Arena.
“It’s very significant,” said state Rep. Scott Beck, R-St. Johnsbury, a member of the group. “It’s hard to operate any facility … if the building infrastructure around that rink isn’t shored up.”
The ice at Fenton Chester Arena has been closed since last October. The operator, Lyndon Institute, pinned the decision on the “unpalatable” financial implications of opening the already unprofitable, town-owned rink as COVID-19 restrictions stayed firm.
The school’s five-year contract with the town to operate the rink ends in August, and it doesn’t plan to renew it. Community members have grown concerned that, if the rink doesn’t reopen, local youth hockey and skating programs will die out.
RINK Inc. and the Lyndon town government have been working toward a deal for the nonprofit to come aboard as operator. Town administrator Justin Smith said the group has given the town a lease proposal, and the town’s attorney is reviewing it.
He hopes “we would have something to at least review for consideration early next week.”
The recent funding commitment will be used for electrical and lighting work in the building, Smith said. The town received quotes of about $1,500 for electrical work and about $2,300 for lighting changes.
One of the biggest expenses surrounding the rink is energy use, especially when making ice, Smith said. The town wants to cut those costs by installing more energy-efficient lighting in locker rooms and hallways.
St. Johnsbury Academy, which uses the rink, plans to supply labor for some of that work through an electrical trades program, Smith said, meaning the town will need to supply only materials.
The figure of up to $25,000 represents the amount the town is seeking in facilities grants, Smith said.
Selectboard member Dan Daley said that, since the rink was built in the late 1970s, the town has never chipped in taxpayer money.
“Even though we hadn’t done it for the last 42 years, I think we took a look at, ultimately, the need in the area,” Daley said. “It’s the only facility of its kind around, unless you want to travel to Jay Peak.”
Daley, a former hockey coach, said the board decided that setting this precedent was worthwhile. “We needed to do our part to help RINK out,” he said, praising the group for stepping up to try to operate the rink.
The nonprofit has also surpassed its goal of raising $35,000 through GoFundMe, with more than $36,000 raised as of last Thursday.
Beck, the state representative who is part of RINK, said he expects a lease to be signed soon and the needed maintenance would be finished before the skating season begins.