Raney Opposes Rink Flip: It is time to once-and-for-all kill this proposal

On Friday, RTM member Brian Raney shared his thoughts with members of District 9 which follows in its entirety. Mr. Raney said he was in favor of a new rink but that the requirements mean it has probably outgrown its location in Morlot Park, as follows:

I’m writing about the Municipal Improvement appeal on this month’s call for the proposed new skating rink in Eugene Morlot Park.

This process has been flawed from the beginning. The original rink committee has obstinately rejected calls from the neighborhood to either significantly alter their proposal or to find an alternate location. This new proposal from P&R simply picks up that flawed plan, opposed by the neighborhood, and tries to push it forward again. Note, it was ALREADY REJECTED when the committee pushed it. Having a new sponsor doesn’t address the concerns.

The proposal has grown immensely since the original proposals ~4 years ago, and yet somehow provides less functionality than the current one.

1) Expanded footprint. A full-size ice surface is expected to cause some expansion, but the plans now include extra locker rooms, a pro shop, etc. Yet, somehow they lose the snack bar concession!

2) Relocation on site. “The Flip”, as it’s known, puts the building very close to the memorial grove and is generally awkward relative to the entire park. And yes, this is IN a park.

3) Expanded season. While expected, this means that the neighbors in that tight corner of Town will now have full-year encroachment not only in the park (and the ball field) but also with traffic in the neighborhood.

4) Rejection of downtime. This is an admirable goal, but all efforts to suggest a temporary rink for 1-2 seasons have again been rejected out-of-hand.

5) Budget. The original scope for this project was ~$5M, but now is approaching $25M.

It is time to once-and-for-all kill this proposal. The rink either needs to fit in the same part of the park as the current one (with a temporary rink for 1-2 seasons), or another site not in Morlot park needs to be found.

It is sad that this has carried on for so long, and that the repeated calls for changes by the local neighborhood have been ignored. Yes, there was a survey. Were the questions leading? Does the input of someone in back-country matter as much as someone on Sherman??

Consider if the Town decided to put a massive facility on the block behind you and your input was ignored. Lights, traffic, loss of the green space you use… You would NOT be happy.

Do what’s right for the neighbors, for the entire Town, and even for the current proponents, to get to a workable plan for a new, appropriately scaled and sited rink sooner. Please vote against the MI.