The skating rink at McGouldrick Park at 38 Dix Ave. in Dixfield is open to Rumford residents. A major flood Dec. 18 forced the Rumford rink to close. Submitted photo
DIXFIELD — Town officials have offered the use of the ice skating rink at McGouldrick Park to Rumford residents, because the Dec. 18 flood damaged theirs at the Hosmer Field Complex.
At Monday’s Select Board meeting, Scott Blaisdell of Dixfield Parks & Recreation said the rink at 38 Dix Ave. is open anytime during the day, and lights are on from 4:30-9 p.m. There is also a warming hut.
He said skating has picked up since Rumford residents were notified they were welcome.
Blaisdell, who is leading a small group of volunteers working to revive McGouldrick Park, said they are also planning at least one skating party this winter.
In other business, Blaisdell said the grandstands at Harlow Park do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and don’t meet code. He said the Maine Principals’ Association is starting to come down on schools that don’t have ADA compliant grandstands.
Ken Robbins, the maintenance and transportation director with Regional School Unit 56, got a quote from a company and Blaisdell said he believes it’s about $500,000. “That may have included replacing the press box, what we call the tower, and that really doesn’t need to be replaced as it was built stronger than it needed to be.”
Blaisdell said the quote does not include site work and demolition costs.
“I’ve reached out to two different companies and come up with quotes on replacing the bleachers with a light type of bleacher that we have, but they do meet code and are ADA accessible,” he said. “The quotes were ranged from $124,000 to $151,000 and will only go up in the future.”
Blaisdell added, “At some point, somehow and in some way, we need to come up with a way to replace what we have. I don’t know what the MPA is going to do … or if they won’t schedule games for schools that don’t have ADA compliant grandstands. It’s my feeling that if the town is actively pursuing doing something that they’ll take that into consideration.”
In the Harlow Park agreement with RSU 56, Blaisdell said it looks like the town is responsible for 100% of the capital improvement and building costs. The school district maintains the grounds.
Asked if the school district might assist with the bleacher issue, he said it would be worth having a conversation because “it’s taxpayer dollars either way, but the schools include three other towns also.”
Those towns are Canton, Carthage and Peru.
The Select Board voted to appoint Shiloh Felt to the Ione Harlow Scholarship Committee. She succeeds Montell Kennedy who died Aug. 30.
Board Chairman Richard Pickett announced there are openings on the Appeals Board. Anyone interested may contact the Town Office at 562-8151.
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