MARBLEHEAD — A survey administered by the town has shown residents support building a new ice rink using donated funds.
More than 1,900 residents responded to the survey, and 84.67 percent of those said they felt Marblehead should have an ice rink. In addition, 76.71 percent said that it was “important” or “very important” that the town have a rink.
The town learned in 2016 that it would receive a $2.2 million donation from the estate of longtime Marblehead resident Larz Anderson to be used for winter sports, although there is some flexibility in the bequest for the funds to be used for other recreational activities.
In December, the Recreation and Parks Department released a proposal for how to use the money, focusing on renovations to Reynolds Playground on Hoods Lane. The parcel includes a now-defunct outdoor rink, a dog park and playing fields.
If a rink is built on the property, it would most likely be a 180-foot rink, the same size as the current structure. National Hockey League regulation-size rinks are 200 by 85 feet. The town does not believe that a larger rink would be possible without sacrificing space for other amenities.
“There was no realistic place in town to house an indoor rink and a large outdoor rink was questionable given the residential nature of our neighborhoods,” the proposal says. “Unfortunately, Marblehead does not have any land that is near commercial or industrial spaces where a rink would be a natural fit.”
The town would provide ice time for Marblehead Youth Hockey and skating instruction, as well as free skating.
According to survey results, the most popular activities that residents would participate in are open skate (34.41 percent), hockey (32.77 percent) and family skate (20.74 percent). More than half of respondents said the town should expand winter recreation and ice skating opportunities for younger children.
Currently, Marblehead does not have a usable ice-skating rink. Hockey teams in the town use rinks in other communities for practices and games, including the high school team, which plays on a rink at Salem State University.
To support the construction of a rink, 44.63 percent of survey respondents said that they would donate money, and 29.26 percent said they would support a debt exclusion.
