Our icerink is reborn!
Methuen rink undergoes $100,000 rehab

By John Basilesco
MethuenLife Writer

The fog that once rolled through the Methuen High School ice rink, disrupting hockey games and other events, is expected to be a thing of the past when the newly renovated rink reopens this month.
A facelift, with a price tag of about $100,000, has resurrected the aging rink that had fallen into a state of disrepair over the years.
The money for the project came from revenue generated from rentals of the rink, nothing from the school budget, said Bruce Stella, director of school facilities, who oversaw the renovation project.
Aging, outdated equipment couldn't control the humidity in the building, causing fog to disrupt events. In addition, outdated machines that kept the ice frozen failed at times, causing the ice to melt. The building was also unattractive with dull paint and dingy bathrooms. Repairs to the rink had been minimal since it opened in 1974.
School officials decided something had to be done.
A combination of repairs and equipment replacements over the summer should eliminate the fog problems and keep the ice in perfect condition from now on, Stella said.
The work also included major upgrades to the bathrooms, replacing a 30-foot section of the rink wall and repainting all the walls inside the rink and locker rooms with a bright Ranger blue.
Members of the Methuen Youth Hockey Association - which has 170 boys and girls on its teams - are thrilled with the improvements. They successfully pleaded their case to school officials for the improvements.
It's more than just a place to play hockey, said Tony O'Rourke, the group's vice president. Many boys and girls learn how to skate during Saturday morning lessons at the ice rink, for example, he said. Plus, the high school figure skating club uses it, and many families enjoy themselves there during public skating.
"It was time," Superintendent Jeanne Whitten said about the renovation project. "It was definitely time to improve the condition of the rink."
Through meetings with youth hockey representatives, she said she grew to appreciate the rink's value in terms of its programs for the community.
"They made good sense to me," she said. "Then I went to check the rink out. I said, 'Wow, this needs a rehab.' It had been ignored for a lot of years. They only did what they had to do (in terms of maintenance). It certainly wasn't attractive, and there could have been safety issues down the road."
The bathrooms were in poor condition, she said, and the plexi-glass around the perimeter of the rink was so scratched and gouged, parents couldn't take photos of their children through it, she said.
Whitten said the rink has the potential to be a greater revenue stream if it's marketed right.
The more groups that rent it, the more money will be generated to cover the cost of maintaining and operating the rink.
Her goal is to eventually make it a self-funded operation. Currently, $55,000 from the annual school budget goes toward the rink, but that would no longer be needed if enough revenue is generated through increased rentals, school Business Administrator Glenn Fratto said, and "it will hopefully be self-funded."
“This rink brought in $350,000 to $375,000 in its hey-day,” said Fratto, referring to the late 1970s when the rink operated nearly 24 hours a day. “Hopefully, we’ll get back there.
“The goal is to raise enough so that (the School Department) doesn’t have to fund it,” said Fratto. “Then we can earmark operating funds solely for education.”
The major upgrades were necessary in order to attract more groups and to better accommodate the groups that already use it, Whitten said.
Now in her third year as superintendent, Whitten said she decided to give some attention to other areas of the school district, including the high school rink.
She credits Stella for achieving a "workable price tag" for the renovation project by using school maintenance workers to do much of the work themselves.
The work, which is nearly finished, started in April, and continued through the summer so the rink would be ready to reopen this month, Stella said. It is tentatively scheduled to open Sept. 15, but it could open a little sooner, Stella said. Residents can check the school district's web site to find out for sure, he said.
Having members of the school maintenance staff doing a lot of the work cut the total cost by about $25,000 to $30,000, Stella said.
"It's a wonderful thing for the community," he said about the rink. "When families are skating together during public skating on the weekends, there's not a person out there who doesn't have a smile from ear to ear."
The renovation work included repairing dehumidifiers and adding four brand-new ones, Stella said. This will eliminate the fog problems of the past, he said. In addition, two new cooling towers were installed, which will prevent the ice from melting from now on, he said.
Work to upgrade the old bathrooms included installing new sinks and new fixtures and dispensers along with painting the walls, Stella said.
In addition, lockers will now be available for people during public skating at the rink, he said.

Methuen High’s ice rink is in top form, thanks to a $100,000 renovation that took place this summer. Working non-stop to get the rink ready for Sept. 15 are (from left) ice-rink equipment operators Paul Trussell, Director of School Facilities Bruce Stella, and ice-rink equipment operators Billy Burns and Nick Harris. Photos by Melissa Fili.