Saugus officials hand over rink

SAUGUS – The light heartedness was palpable in the bright lobby of the Kasabuski Arena as Town Manager Andrew Bisignani officially handed over the keys to the rink to Daniel Maniff Wednesday.With that brief exchange, Bisignani unloaded a monkey that had been riding the town’s back and building a deficit for decades.”The town will still have a watchful eye on the place,” Bisignani said. “Now we move on to dealing with the next thing – if the governor makes (budget) cuts, how that will effect the town.”As for Maniff, he said, “Now we get into the hockey business.”Maniff, however, is no stranger to the hockey business. He has coached and run a league for years. His wife Judy said subleasing the rink seemed almost like a natural progression, almost.”Hockey has always been a part of our lives,” she said. “This is just another adventure.”Maniff has already made some changes in the aged building, starting with the lobby area, which is noticeably brighter with the addition of a dropped ceiling. Maniff said he’s also already added energy efficient lighting throughout the building. With a capital improvement plan as part of the lease agreement, Maniff said he has 15 years but plans to make as many changes as he can in the first five.First and foremost on his to-do list is rebuilding the rink’s league roster. Maniff said a number of teams left due to the turmoil that built up and all but swallowed the rink over the last two years. That’s billable ice time he would like to get back. He said he would also like to see the rink operate later into the summer.Manager John Hatch, who said he was feeling very good about the transition of power, said he also wants to expand public skating and make the rink fun again.Maniff laughed at the notion that it would take a lot of work to get the rink in shape.”We’re not afraid of hard work,” said Judy Maniff.”It’s going to take a lot of money is what it’s going to take, but we’re committed to this,” Daniel Maniff added.Selectman Peter Rossetti admitted the signing was a bit of a relief. His colleague Stephen Castinetti said it was simply nice for the board to have one less issue on its plate.Dr. Frederick Wagner, chairman of the Board of Assessors, said he stopped by just to make sure the deed was done and the town was actually out from under the rink. He called the transition a good thing. Town Moderator Robert Long agreed.Long skates at the rink three times a week during the season and he came off the ice just in time for the brief ceremony.”The rink kind of ran its course. The town had it since 1987 and thank God things held together reasonably well,” he said. “This bodes well for getting the rink up to snuff. I think all in all it’s a good deal.”