By George P. Hassett

Mark Wallace is hoping he can start teaching kids how to skate Saturday morning at the Veterans Memorial Hockey Rink. But after 10 years of opening day delays, and one season in which the rink did not open at all, he is not allowing himself to get too excited.

“It’s lousy when the rink doesn’t open on time,” he said. “It has hurt the program. Fifteen years ago we had 200 kids learning to skate and play hockey now we’re down to 50. Part of that I think has to do with the rink problems, we have fewer kids able to come in and use the ice and then spread the word to their friends.”

However, Wallace may get a break this year from the string of late openings and early closings that have plagued the rink for the last 10 years. State Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville, announced last week that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has included $500,000 in its budget to pay for mechanical upgrades to the rink that will allow it to open on time Saturday morning.

The rink’s biggest obstacle to maintaining a regular schedule has been a lack of insulation and warm fall seasons which prevent the ice from remaining frozen, she said. To address the issue DCR Commissioner Richard Sullivan will establish an on call rental contract to provide temporary chillers that will keep the ice frozen and the rink open.

“I’m delighted that DCR has come up with such an innovative solution to the potential problem of a ‘chiller’ failure,” she said.

Provost said the rink is an important recreation and community resource for Somerville residents and has been in desperate need of repair and improvement for years. She said Sullivan has been the most responsive of the three DCR commissioners who have held the position since she began her tenure in the legislature last year. She said his predecessors were a “temporary placeholder” and a commissioner who “toed the Romney party line.”

Under former Governor Mitt Romney’s administration all but 12 rinks in the state were leased to private organizations. The remaining rinks, Provost said, were held hostage and offered little maintenance.

Ward 1 Alderman William Roche, whose grandchildren use the rink for skating lessons and hockey leagues, said the state had been taking a “band-aid approach to get through the season” often forcing Somerville kids to faraway locations such as Northboro and New Hampshire for ice time. He said the $500,000 secured by Provost is a start but that $4 million is likely
needed to make the rink equal to others in the state.

Provost said the $500,000 commitment from the state is a good short term solution and she is
in the midst of discussions about a permanent answer for the rink‚Äôs troubles.       

That is good news for Wallace who said his main goal is just getting out on the ice Saturday morning. ‚ÄúIf everything goes according to plan we‚Äôll have the kids on the ice learning to skate by 8 a.m. Saturday,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúThat‚Äôs all you can ask for.‚Äù