Board Votes Against Ice Rink Project Again
by Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Town Board reaffirmed its decision to abandon the ice rink refrigeration project at its meeting December 10. This was despite the pleas of a group of very capable local citizens who offered to get involved in applying for further grants and doing the marketing and programming that would be needed to make a success of it.
The grant was originally awarded when State Senator Kathy Marchione asked Hoosick Supervisor Mark Surdam what he would like to do as an economic development project to bring the Town back from the PFOA crisis, and he suggested this one. But after the grant was awarded, the Town Board became concerned that trying to have the Town run another large recreational facility (in addition to the pool) might prove onerous, and end up being a burden on the taxpayers. To assess the situation, the Board hired a consultant to write a feasibility study looking into the costs and potential revenues of the project. The consultant’s report concluded that the facility would end up requiring an operating subsidy from the Town of about $60,000 annually. Based on this report, the Town Board decided to repurpose the grant to make improvements at the pool and the rink that do not include refrigeration. This was approved by the agency making the grant and was the new plan until a group of citizens got together to try to save the refrigeration project. They made a presentation to the Board last month challenging the negative conclusion of the consultant’s report and offering to help get more grants and help find rink rental customers and organize local programming that would help to pay the bills.
At this month’s meeting Surdam said he feels the Board needs to make up its mind what direction to go and move forward with the project, whichever one it chose. He suggested that someone make a motion to change the project back to the rink refrigeration project and they take a vote on it. At first no one made the motion, but after some cajoling from the audience, Surdam himself made the motion, and eventually, Eric Sheffer seconded it, although both were of mixed mind about which side of the issue to take.
Surdam said he was in love with the idea from the start, when Hoosac Headmaster Dean Foster had suggested the idea of making improvements to the ice rink so it could be home ice for the Hoosac hockey teams and saying Hoosac would pay a substantial annual rent for use of the ice. That’s why he had suggested the project when Marchione asked. But after learning more about it he was worried that running the rink might bring a lot of trouble and expense onto the Town, a fear that was reinforced by the consultant’s conclusions.
Surdam said he has been impressed with the committee and its presentation and is almost ready to believe that working together they could make the project a great asset to the Town rather than a burden to the Town. But he continues to be worried that when all is said and done the revenue might come up short of the expenses, and was concerned because they wouldn’t find out for sure how it is going to work until the renovations are complete and they try to sell ice time.
Sheffer expressed similar reservations, saying he likes the idea and would like to see it succeed, but he feels that he doesn’t currently have enough information to know if it’s going to work or not. Saying that this is certainly not a “slam dunk,” he is worried about the uncertainty and risk to the Town involved in going forward with it.
Ken Lorenz, one of the committee that has been working to save the refrigeration project, said the committee is ready to make a long-term commitment to the project if the Town Board would agree to move forward with it. He said they would start seeking additional grants right away, and would begin with marketing efforts and organizing programming for the facility “as soon as ground is broken.” He said his group has verbal commitments from people who want to use the facility, but these don’t become real until the project is moving forward and the facility is close to being ready to use.
Kevin Allard said he is in favor of pursuing the refrigeration project. He said Hoosick Falls is an old manufacturing town, and most of the manufacturers have left, and the future is not going to include as big a manufacturing component. “We need to re-invent ourselves.” He said Hoosick Falls is becoming a bedroom community, and he hopes it will become a bedroom community that has a lot to offer, and this project offers an opportunity to enhance what’s available in the Town.”
Others mentioned the possibility of setting up a rope tow on the golf club hill next to the skating rink, and envisioned the area becoming a year-round recreation hub, which might possibly improve the prospects for the golf club and its restaurant.
Surdam said it is exciting to him that the Mayor, the head of Hoosac School, and the soon-to-be head of the Central School are all involved in this effort, and he loves the idea of the Town, the Village, and the two schools working together on civic improvement projects.
Once everyone had spoken, the time came to take a vote on whether to go for the refrigeration project or not, and both Surdam and Sheffer voted in favor, but Councilmen Bill Hanselman and Jerry McAuliffe, who had not spoken during the discussion, both voted against. Board member Jenn Hyde was not present, as she was recovering from surgery, so the vote was 2-2, and the motion failed to pass.
Hanselman said he voted against for three reasons. The first is that if the money goes back to the refrigeration project, the remaining work that needs to be done at the pool would have to be paid by the taxpayers, and he would like to avoid further taxpayer expense on the pool, since so much has already been spent there. The second is that the Town paid a consultant $10,000 to study the issue, and the conclusion was that it would not work, so he thinks the Town should take the advice that it paid for. The third was that a local expert with 40 years experience running facilities of this kind, Tom Marciotta, agreed with the consultant’s conclusions. Hanselman said he would have liked to see such a facility built here, but he does not think it is feasible.
Councilman Jerry McAuliffe said his reasons for voting against are similar to Hanselman’s. He said if the Town is going to spend $10,000 on a study to guide them in their decision-making, they should not then dismiss it and base their decision on more optimistic scenarios offered by local citizens. He noted that other towns, such as North Adams and Manchester, are struggling to keep their ice rinks open, and he believes Hoosick Falls would probably have similar struggles. “I’d love to see it work,” said McAuliffe, but he felt he had to be realistic about the prospects for the facility. He said this is “the hardest decision I’ve made since I’ve been on the Board.”