The municipal rink on Concord Avenue is starting to take shape, with paneling work and roofing underway.
“It’s starting to look like a building,” said Building Committee Chair Mark Haley.
On April 4, 2023, voters approved a $29.9 million debt exclusion to build the ice rink, which was needed when the old rink became unusable. Last winter, renewed estimates revealed that the cost of the building as designed was closer to $35 million. In June 2024, after the Building Committee pared down design plans to bring the cost closer to $32 million, Town Meeting members appropriated an additional $1.5 million to cover the budget shortfall. Additionally, state Sen. William Brownsberger secured a $750,000 state grant to install a carbon dioxide refrigeration system.
As of this week, the project remains on time and budget.
“Since we’ve started construction, the team has done a very good job of working together,” Haley said. “We had bumps in the road initially, but those have been solved, and everybody’s working together and pulling the same oars, as we say.”
He said the majority of exterior utilities are in place, including electrical, plumbing and stormwater management. Cables for the internet are also in place, he added.
“The building itself is fossil-free; it’s all-electric, and we’re now working on, hopefully, some ways to get [solar] panels on the roof,” he said. “That’s part of what we want to do in Belmont. We want to have buildings that are low, low-impact on the environment.”
The building will include four dressing rooms at the rear end, public restrooms up front, a foyer and concessions.
According to Ian Wilson, superintendent at Skanska USA Building, the construction crew has managed to work around cold temperatures and some snow with an industrial heating machine.
Haley and Wilson said the CO2 system is being manufactured and expected to be delivered by April.
Previous Coverage
- New Rink, Library Buildings Begin to Take Shape
- It’s Official: Rink Project Breaks Ground
- Town Meeting Approves Additional $1.5 Million for Skating Rink
Both credited multiple town departments, particularly Belmont Light, for their collaboration in the project. According to Haley, the goal is to begin making ice in early September in time for the start of high school hockey season, which starts the Monday after Thanksgiving.
“We’re striving for that end date,” said Wilson. “The goal is to keep plowing ahead.”
