Saugus seeks longer lease for Kasabuski

SAUGUS – Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said he expects the special legislation needed to possibly extend the life of Kasabuski Arena to be filed by Friday.Bisignani is asking through the special legislation to have the rink lease extended by 20 years, which according to some potential lessees is a good thing.Bisignani put the rink out to bid earlier this year with the hope that some entity would lease it and, in doing so, take over the deficit tied to the arena. But there are only four years left on the current lease and potential bidders said it wouldn’t be worth the money it would take to get the rink into shape for only four years.Bob Rotondo of Wilmington estimated that to do the rink up right it would cost between $1 million-$1.3 million. Rotondo, who said he had very high standards and runs an NHL quality rink, said the arena would have to be essentially stripped down and rebuilt. And no one, he added, would take on that burden unless the lease was extended.Rink watchers will have to wait another month to see whether anyone will choose to take on that burden anyway. The deadline for proposals to lease the rink have been pushed back to Tuesday, April 22 at 11 a.m. Bisignani said he changed the date to give his office more time and because it is unlikely the legislation would be ready much before then.Rink Manager John Hatch led four potential bidders on a tour of the rink Monday in which Hatch pointed out the sore spots with the rink along with highlighting the good, which include a full roster of practice times, high school teams, Saugus Youth Hockey teams and figure skaters.However, the amount of ice time Hatch can rent has been limited due to concessions made to the neighborhood.Along with aspects of the rink itself, Hatch also highlighted his staff, whom he called incredible, dedicated and one of the best things about the place. Hatch admitted he is anxious to find out the future of the rink, which will determine his and his staff’s future.