Saugus expects approval on 10-year rink lease extension

SAUGUS – The special legislation needed to extend the town’s lease on the Kasabuski Arena has passed the Senate and should soon be on the governor’s desk.Town Manager Andrew Bisignani said he expects Gov. Deval Patrick to sign the legislation in short order freeing up the arena for new management.The legislation is aimed at extending the town’s lease on the ice rink for another 10 years. The extension was needed in order to make a bid request more attractive.Bisignani put the rink out to bid earlier this year with the goal of finding someone to sublet the arena and pay off the deficit that went with it.Kasabuski Partnership of Lynnfield stepped up to the plate and submitted a winning bid.Once the governor signs the legislation Bisignani said a couple of things still need to happen before the new entity can take over.First he would need to work out the final details of the contract, the Board of Selectmen must approve the contract and it needs to be posted publicly for a minimum of one week.Rink Manager John Hatch can’t wait.Hatch has been toiling at the rink largely on his own since most of his staff was laid off at the end of March. With the hockey league starting up in August, however, there is much, according to Hatch, to be done.”We’re focusing on the North Suburban Hockey league, which has gotten amazing support,” he said.Hatch also had nothing but praise for Chris Conway and Bill Toomey, the principals of the partnership. Hatch said the pair have a philosophy very similar to his own that hockey doesn’t have to be a constant grind of game after game.”There can be a balance between developing skills and having fun,” he said.Hatch said the group would also retain the hometown feel of the rink and continue to focus on the high school teams, the figure skaters and the suburban league, which have all called the rink home for years.”They’re about bringing skills back and working to develop young players,” Hatch said. “Sometimes people say people are too good to be true, these guys are too good to be true but they are.”