Greenville skating rink will be closed this season

GREENVILLE — With costly repairs needed to the surface underneath the ice and the warming shack needing to be replaced, the Greenville municipal skating rink will be closed for the upcoming season. Town officials are looking at possibilities beyond 2024-25 for the outdoor facility on Pritham Avenue near the Greenville Consolidated School.

During an Oct. 16 meeting of the selectboard, Recreation Director Sally Tornquist said the rink was not open when she began a dozen years ago. “I think it was a combination of things, all the cracks in the rink and people not using the rink, and a lot of people asked me to open it up so we started out with volunteers first and we got it done for a couple of years,” she said.

Tornquist said the shack has plumbing problems and in the spring the melted rink ice goes into the structure, which was built in the 1970s. The insurance company wants it to be torn down following a failed inspection by the Maine Municipal Association. The water is currently off and will not be turned back on until the problems have been rectified. 

“I think it’s important to keep the kids busy so I would like you to consider some options and I wanted to talk to you about them,” she said.

The recreation director said one option is to fix the cracks in the rink surface. Tornquist said the company cannot inspect in person, but like the tennis courts she could send photos to get an estimate on the work. 

About seven years ago she inquired how much putting a new inch layer over the entire 100- by 200-foot surface would be. This was $55,000 and today the price would be much higher such as double. “So I don’t think that would be the option,” Tornquist said.

Another possibility could be to remove the current rink material, Tornquist said Dexter and Newports’ skating rinks are smaller with a sand base and walls around the surface. She said she would look into stipulations on the property tying into the athletic and recreation complex being dedicated as the Loren H. Ritchie Community Sports Facility a quarter century ago.

“I would like to leave it there for this winter and try to come up with options for next year,” she said about the shack. Tornquist said it could be easy to put a new building on the existing footprint with its water and electrical hookups.

For this winter the access road won’t be plowed and the building will be closed off and marked to prevent anyone from getting in.

“I agree with Sally, maybe closing it this year and making some decisions during budget season as to how to proceed,” Town Manager Mike Roy said.

In other business, the selectboard appointed EJ Richardson to the Moosehead Sanitary District Board of Directors. Town officials heard from district board Chair Charlie Tarsook who said there was a vacancy following the passing of Noel Wohlforth last month.

“That will give us a full board again,” Tarsook said. “Of course we miss Noel, he had been there for a longtime and he knew what was going on.”

“He had institutional knowledge, it was sad to see him pass,” Select Chair Geno Murray said.

Murray said that the selectboard appoints town board positions and selectboard members would go into executive session to discuss this later in the meeting.

“We’re rolling along, we are doing the best we can,” Tarsook said. “Everything seems to be alright. When people want to push that button, it goes”

Murray asked if there have been any challenges to the demand with the growth of town.

“No, we seem to be handling it,” Tarsook said. “Our biggest account was the steam plant and we’re not hooked up to them anymore. They’re doing something else over there we are not involved in so we have the capacity to take whatever is coming.”

Greenville Planning Board Chair John Contreni said this group has vacancies for both its alternate positions. “The alternates step up when one of our regular members can’t make it,” he said.

Contreni said applications from Laurie Davis and Don Hodapp were received and the planning board unanimously recommends both to the selectboard.

Post-executive session, Selectperson Richard Peat said the board discussed the applications and decided to only appoint Hodapp.

“The airport continues to be very popular, we are now up to 22 on the hangar waiting list so 22 different individuals,” Roy said in his report.

Last month he said the waiting list was at 20 and land cannot be cleared fast enough to get hangars built

“We continue to work with Piscataquis County EMA on transferring or releasing if you will the tower and the electrical building which is adjacent to the tower because the EMA is looking for a spot for a tower,”  he said about a site at the Greenville Municipal Airport. Roy said installing a brand new tower would cost around $1.5 million and this would come back to all the communities in Piscataquis County.

“The EMA needs a location for an antenna and this is a perfect opportunity for them and us as well and the whole county actually,” he said.

Piscataquis County EMA will have the structure inspected to be sure it can be used, an old platform and railing will need to be removed, and if the project proceeds then a lease agreement with Greenville will be drafted for review.