BETHEL — A new ice skating rink behind the former Ethel Bisbee Elementary School is open and free to all in surrounding towns.

The rink, which opened Dec. 20, has six to seven inches of ice and will stay open every day during daylight hours as long as weather permits, and the ice stays frozen and is safe to skate on. Because it’s located at Ethel Bisbee, near the back is the walking pathway which connects to Crescent Park Elementary School via Mason Road.

“(Ethel Bisbee) sat vacant for a long time, glad we’re using it for a space like this. I’m hoping this a valuable piece of property that we shouldn’t sell off, that we should keep it, at least for now for recreational purposes,” said Mary Scanlon, director of the Bethel Recreation Department. “We’re hoping, especially the ice skating people,” that the popularity of the rink will invite more use.

While town officials decide what to do with the building, Scanlon appreciates that people can use the property outside for recreation.

The idea has been in the works since last January, but once the team of volunteers got through all the insurance hurdles, it was too late to start on the idea before the end of winter. When the committee got together in August, the next discussion was the location. The Bethel Common was pitched, but it was the Ethel Bisbee location that won as it was closer to water, there’s a hydrant nearby, it’s off the beaten path, no major roads are nearby, and because it is ideal for parking.

Down the road the committee would like to have free skate rentals. For now, people can buy skates at Community Sports in Bethel and True North.

Scanlon said the rink project has “over twenty volunteers. Some are very active, some provide support. And we’re hoping it’ll grow, it’s one of my goals to get more people to participate in this program no matter what it is. I want the community to feel like they own this, this is definitely a community ice rink. Many people have tried to do it and it’s faltered. The more we can communicate and make people feel part of it, it will grow and not die like it has before.”

The rink sponsors are: Norway Savings Bank, Bethel Rotary Club, The River Fund, Jared Rice and family, Phil Sheridan and family, Bethel Water District, and many generous supporters from the Bethel area community.

Scanlon said the rink was constructed in honor of Jared Rice, member of a longtime public works family, and Phil Sheridan, one of the founding members of the Bethel Recreation Committee.

People who would like to make a donation to the ice rink can contact Scanlon by email at bethelrec@gmail.com or by mail, PO Box 1660, Bethel, Maine 04217. Checks need to be made out to the Town of Bethel, with “Ice Rink” in the memo line.

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