Community funding ice rink for Franklin's Odell Park

FRANKLIN — The Three Rivers City will have a safe spot for ice skating this winter, organized and funded by local residents.

“Less than eight months ago, a couple of young gentlemen who reside off of Bow Street were shoveling off the river when it was cold,” Stu Smith told the Franklin City Council earlier this month. “Some people got nervous, and the next thing you know is this lady is organizing the new ice rink. We’ve been very successful. We started our own 501(c)(3). Our community is extremely generous.”

That lady is Kathy Fuller, who said Friday more than $30,000 has been donated to the cause already, with a recent donation of $3,000 from a Peabody Home resident, for a rink at Odell Park.

Funds will be used toward the purchase and building of the temporary ice rink, restoration of a cottage for a warming hut, skates and equipment available for use, and light fixtures, as well as electricity, surveillance cameras, and other necessary aspects of bringing a skating rink to the city.

“This is being done with entirely with donations,” said Fuller, who is the treasurer of the nonprofit organization, and has been leading the charge with Smith, the organization's president, to make the ice rink a reality.

Fuller is a retired nurse who once worked at Franklin Hospital, and recalled a time when there were people who fell through the ice of the Winnipesaukee River and died. She remembered how horrifying the situation was for the families, and herself.

This past winter she was passing the river and saw a man on the ice, shoveling off snow to create a spot for his two young children to skate. Fuller knows there is a current in the river, making it unsafe to skate on, which sparked the idea to create a safe place for people to bring their children to skate for free.

“I got it, being a parent myself,” Fuller said. “So I said, 'We should do a skating rink over at Odell Park.'”

Fuller said that was the spark needed to create Franklin Parks and Rec Volunteers, which started holding meetings, where she found a strong demand. The more meetings they held, the more people showed up. She said multiple generations of Franklin residents are involved, whether it is through funding, planning or labor.

“One night, there were more than 60 people,” Fuller said. “They were talking about ice skating and remembering what we once had.”

Fuller contacted Parks & Recreation Director Krystal Alpers, who recommended a spot behind an old cottage in Odell Park. Fuller told her they would need a warming hut, and a spot for equipment to be stored. Alpers suggested using the cottage, which just needed to be repaired. This is where the community stepped up.

Improvements have been made to the cottage, and now they just need to add an accessibility ramp and wiring for electricity. The cottage will have concessions like hot chocolate for sale, and organizers hope there will be free skates, helmets, and equipment for people to use, as well.

All work on the cottage has been funded by donations, and done by volunteers.

“It is a great way to do something with this cottage,” Alpers said. “It was dilapidated, so volunteers have been working on it to make it usable.”

An outdoor hockey rink was completed on Oct. 11, 1975, for $2,781, but in 1987, a new basketball court was placed near the entrance of the rink. Then in 1995, the new Little League field was built where the old skating rink was, ending organized skating in the city.

Alpers said there has long been a discussion about bringing ice skating back, but the city simply didn’t have the funds. Thirty years later, it is becoming a reality, thanks to local volunteers.

“Kathy has softly put it out there to do this, and the outpouring of financial support was flabbergasting, to be honest,” Alpers said.

Alpers said donations have been coming in chunks, some a few hundred dollars, and others in the thousands. Just recently, the group received an anonymous donation of $10,000.

“It varies all over the place, but this was put together by the community, and paid for by the community,” Alpers said.

The next step is for the area behind the cottage to be flattened out sometime in October, and Fuller expects the rink to be set up by early December. The Bambini, which is like a small Zamboni, is estimated to cost about $80 per season to run. It will be used once a day to spread a sheet of hot water on the ice, scrape it, and smooth it out for skaters.

“We don’t do anything until money is in the bank,” Fuller said. “This helps us stay away from any taxpayer money or city budget. It is wonderful to see the community volunteerism.”

The rink is two-thirds the size of an NHL hockey rink, Fuller said. It was purchased from a condominium association in Maine, where it was sparsely used, for about $3,000. The open air rink is built with sections of boards fitted together, and has a special liner topped with water pumped from the Winnipesaukee River.

Fuller said it has been many years since Franklin has had organized hockey, but knows there is an interest among high school kids to play pick up games. Others have had ideas of figure skating, and there are some who just want to throw on some skates and hit the ice for a fun winter activity.

City councilors unanimously voted on Sept. 8 to approve all requested alterations at Odell Park regarding the ice rink. Councilors and Mayor Desiree McLaughlin applauded the work done by Fuller, Smith and the Franklin Parks and Rec Volunteers.

“You are both forces of nature,” McLaughlin told Smith and Fuller at the council meeting.

Fuller said there will be no charge to use the rink or available equipment, but donations will be accepted. 

Anyone with questions or suggestions can contact Fuller at 603-512-1078, or send a check made out to Franklin N.H. Parks and Rec Volunteers to 200 Prospect St., Franklin, NH 03235.