Saugus rink woes linked to DCR, DOR

SAUGUS – Finance Committee Chairman Robert Palleschi summed up the town’s problems with Kasabuski Arena with one statement Thursday: “DCR tied our hands and DOR put a gun to our heads.”Palleschi was referring to the town’s struggle to appease both the Department of Conservation and Recreation by resolving a lease issue and the Department of Revenue by paying off a deficit.Town Manager Andrew Bisignani thought he had killed both of those birds with one stone but that is not how it has panned out.When the Kasabuski Partnership of Lynnfield put in a bid to sublet the arena, Bisignani thought his problems were solved. The new vendor was going to pay the town $650,000 up front to cover a portion of the deficit, take over the rink and sink over $1 million into repairs and upgrades for the aged building.Then the DCR stepped in.Bisignani had put the rink out to bid under the auspices of the same contract it had with DCR, which was five pages long. DCR, however, declared that in order for the partnership to sublease the rink it would have to agree to the same 50-page contract the other 28 rinks that DCR subleases agreed to.That did not sit well with the partnership.”It doesn’t make sense that the vendors would put up all that money with those restrictions,” Bisignani said. “So the vendors took a step back because it became a sticky situation.”While the town continued to contend with DCR it also has the DOR reminding it that the rink’s deficit, which has now grown closer to $850,000, must be paid in full before the end of the year.Palleschi also reminded Bisignani Thursday that if Kasabuski’s management is not sorted out by the end of September it will run out of money.When Town Meeting took up the rink’s revolving account last spring it only funded it through the first quarter because it was assumed it would no longer be under the town’s stewardship by then.Bisignani said he was confident the issue would be resolved by then but if push did come to shove the town could in fact cover the deficit thanks to a surplus in the healthcare account.Town Moderator Robert Long, an avid hockey player, also reminded Bisignani that publicity surrounding Kasabuski’s troubles last year led to a sharp drop off in revenues. Long said there is a large youth hockey contingent and several schools that use the rink and those parents have already put out expenses for the upcoming season.”We’re a financial committee, our job is fiscal responsibility,” Palleschi said.Bisignani, however, was quick to note that the rink would open next week and continue business as usual.Long said it was irritating that DCR seems to expect whoever takes over the rink to pour $1 million into it yet it wants to set the rate standards and make no (financial) contributions.”Every time I think we’ve come up with a solution, we have five entities we’re dealing with, DOR, DCR, vendors, those that use the rink and town officials,” Bisignani said. “Four are okay and the fifth one is unhappy.”