By Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

I often talk about the importance of playing hard. It doesn’t matter what your age is, an active life is a happier, healthier life.

Of course a big part of playing hard is having somewhere to play in the first place. That’s why we’ve built and improved dozens of parks and playgrounds around the city. It’s why we mark up more new bike lanes every year. It’s why we took over and spruced up Dilboy Field and Mystic waterfront along Shore Drive. And now the City of Somerville has added the Veterans Memorial Rink on Somerville Ave. to that list.

Generations of kids in Somerville have grown up learning to skate and play hockey at that rink. Adult leagues play there all winter long. It’s a staple in our city. Yet the years had also begun to show on the rink. It was in serious need of renovation and, rather than wait on someone else to spearhead the work, the City struck a deal with the Division of Conservation and Recreation to take over the maintenance and operation of the rink.

We had the official grand opening last Friday and held our first public skating session on Monday. I encourage everyone to get down to the rink because the transformation in the building is truly remarkable. It’s cleaner than I’ve ever seen it and you’ll see improvements from the pro shop to the concessions to the new wheelchair access in the stands. And since we now have local control over the operation of the rink, we’ll be able to keep the quality of the facility up to our local standards.

Among other things, that means Somerville will be able to play more at the Veterans Memorial Rink. It will now be open 10 months of the year instead of six. And we intend for it to be a self-sustaining operation. It’s initiatives like this and our Shape Up Somerville program which have gained Somerville recognition for being one of the most active communities around. We recently were named the “Healthiest City in Massachusetts” by the Massachusetts Health Council.

The more things like this we can do, the better the quality of life for everybody in this city will be. And that will make Somerville a more attractive place to live and run a business. There’s good economics behind good health and quality public recreational facilities.

I should take a moment to recognize Governor Deval Patrick for providing the leadership at the state level to help Somerville take control of Veterans Memorial Rink, Dilboy Field and Shore Drive. He and DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. have recognized our ability to improve the quality of what had been state-run facilities and land tracts. Rep. Denise Provost and the many families and organizers who use the rink also played key roles in putting the facility under local control.

The rink is yet another example of Somerville finding a way to do better by the people in this community. We don’t subscribe to the notion that we can’t get things done. We prove time and again that we can. It’s that spirit that keeps Somerville moving forward.

And hopefully it’s that spirit that will get you out to the rink this winter. I think you’ll like what we’ve done with the place.