Improved Gilford ice rink set to open mid-December

GILFORD — After the selectboard approved a larger kickboard, upgrades to the town ice rink are moving forward, with the support of nearly $75,000 in unanticipated revenue for the project.

The selectboard unanimously voted in favor of using $74,786.59 from the Concord Regional Solid Waste Resource Recovery Cooperative for the improvements at the rink at their meeting Nov. 12. These funds are the town's portion received through a land sale, according to Town Administrator Scott Dunn. The vote came after a public hearing was held where nobody spoke against or in favor. 

Earlier in the meeting, the board voted 3-0 to approve a change for the hockey boards, with Chair Kevin Hayes saying the kickboard height is being changed from 8 inches to 10 inches. The thickness of the liner is also being expanded from 6 mm to 10 mm, which he said he is “ecstatic” about.

The cost for the change is $1,888.70, bringing the updated cost for the project to a total of $139,675.46. Hayes made clear it was only the change to be voted on, and that the contract was already secured.

The cost does not come from taxpayers, as funding from the project comes in part from a Land and Water Conservation grant of $150,000. Eversource also provided $7,115 through a grant to install LED lights.

On Oct. 22, the selectboard unanimously approved the proposal from Sport Court Northeast, a company from North Andover, Massachusetts, with three decades of experience in this type of work all around the country.

The rink is covered with a roof, but is otherwise open, and has a brand new concrete slab. In the spring, there will be five pickleball courts marked inside the rink, making it a year-round endeavor.

Hayes asked to table an item on the agenda about a bid for sealing and line painting, as the work can only take place during warmer weather in the spring. The work will involve acrylic surfacing and colored lines for the courts, and needs to be done when it is 55 degrees or warmer.

Dunn previously said that there were five bidders for the line project, and the lowest came in at $25,411, by Vermont Recreational Surfacing and Fencing, Inc.

The sideboards being replaced were “pretty dilapidated,” according to Dunn, who said the hope is for the rink to be up and running by mid-December.