Additional $50K Proposed to Repair Hockey Rink

The on Tuesday drew up a draft ordinance to add another $50,000 to the $125,000 already budgeted for a major overhaul of a padlocked roller hockey rink within the township's Harry Dunham Park, in preparation for seeking a third set of proposals for a contractor to perform the job.

Township Engineer Tom Timko said the township would like to seek additional proposals soon, with a goal of repairing the cracked rink this summer. The rink will have been closed for two years by that time, he said.

Township Committee members unanimously voted in favor of spending another $50,000 to raise the amount to a total allocation of $175,000 to repair the rink.

"It's a very important recreational component, and I know it gets a lot of use," Township Mayor Mary Pavlini said. The proposed ordinance was introduced on Tuesday, and is scheduled to come up for a public hearing and final vote on April 10, according to the office.

"It's clearly an issue that needs to be addressed and we should do it correctly," Township Committeeman Scott Spitzer said.

However, Township Committee members reiterated that they would take the township engineer's advice even after hearing resident Doug Wicks and hockey fans from nearby communities praise a tile surface as a better solution than asphalt.

Township Commtteeman John Carpenter said township officials should base decisions on "engineering, and not anecdotes." Carpenter said the township can expect about 20 years of use after repairing the facility but needs to address drainage issues first.

Resident Doug Wicks and other speakers at the meeting spoke in favor of placing tiles on the rink surface in place of asphalt as an economic and durable material. Wicks had spoken before the Township Committee previously on the subject, and also

Bridgewater resident Chris Noreen said he had played on the asphalt rink at Harry Dunham park before it closed, but also had played on tile rinks outdoors and indoors in other communities. "I really liked it," Noreen said of the clay surface.

Timko said that in the last set of bids, the cost of installing a drainage system, repairing boards around the rink and then adding tiles on top was more than $200,000, more expensive than the asphalt surface.

He said the tiles are "porous" meaning they would let more water penetrate the surface. Timko said that once drainage issues are dealt with, in theory the tile surface may ben installed at some point int he future.

The first two sets of bids were rejected by the Township Committee, with the most recent lowest

In July, no bids were accepted during the first go-around because a figure in excess of the budgeted $125,000.