News flash! There’s an ice skating rink in Boothbay!

Okay, it’s not really news, but according to vice president of Boothbay Region Rink Association Kevin Anthony, after 14 years of its being reconstructed and frozen every winter since 2003, the ice rink beside the Boothbay Fire Department is still something of an unknown perk to many on the peninsula.

On the frigid evening of Dec. 27, Anthony, association president Lincoln Erhard and 20 volunteers, including the original brains behind the rink, Jeanne Tonon, were out there getting the boards and liner in place to begin the process of flooding the rink.

The 65-by-120-foot rink, available for both recreational skating and ice hockey, is on the fire department’s land, and that land is used for other purposes in summer and fall, so the rink has to be disassembled each spring, and reassembled for the winter.

“Jeanne is a great force in this town. She’s the reason we have a rink,” Anthony said.

It all started at the elementary school where Tonon was a guidance counselor. She gathered a group of her students and asked them for ideas of what they’d like to see in their town. The group started gathering at the Boothbay Region YMCA for asset development leadership conferences.

Tonon said the theory behind the asset development model was that “if you put kids in leadership positions they’ll rise to be leaders.”

At one of those conferences, the students expressed a desire for an ice skating rink in the area.

“The idea was born that day, and a subcommittee was formed,” Tonon said. “Next we had to figure out what the rink would look like, where it could be, and how much it would cost.”

Since then, it has become a group community effort, Anthony said. “It’s not any one person. It takes a lot of labor, and there are a lot of volunteers.”

A group of kids and adults started working together, and two years later they were offered use of the land at the fire department.

Next, they started raising money. Around $2,500 is needed annually to pay for insurance, water, wood frames, the liner that has to be replaced every three or four years, and electricity. The Boothbay Civic Association (BCA), a 501C3 non-profit organization, has been instrumental financially in keeping the rink updated and maintained for several years now.

The money raised by the BCA, with Pam Wiley and Erhard leading the charge, is almost exclusively from bottle and can returns. “The rink is the number one thing they support,” Anthony said. “They’re community-minded, and this fits right in with what they want to do.”

The water for the ice comes from the fire station, and Anthony said the firefighters have been great about letting them use the water and the facility, and space to keep their equipment. Lights, two donated by Central Maine Power and two by Gary Arsenault, were installed around the rink, free of charge, by Arsenault. The poles for the lights were donated or found, and a CMP lineman put them up, also free of charge.

And there’s a brand new sign, painted and donated by Jon Marsh. It will be installed at the town center.

Others who have helped keep the rink in tiptop condition are the Boothbay Rotary, Ronnie Babcock, who purchased a snowblower to help keep the ice clear, and Billy Smith, who has done more than his share of snowblowing and plowing.

Keeping the ice clean and smooth is time-consuming. There are five groups of two or three volunteers each, with a rotating schedule, who take care of the rink throughout the winter.

Several factors weigh into the equation. It has to be resurfaced regularly, using a hose. “You drag this foolish little thing behind you,” Anthony said. “It’s the poor man’s Zamboni. You just walk up and down the rink and spread the water out.”

Tonon is still enthusiastic about the rink 14 years later. “I think it’s a great thing when kids and adults can work together. The kids wanted it, the kids worked for it, and the kids got it going. It makes me smile every time I think about it. I’m just really thrilled that it’s still going.”

And there are still “kids” involved who were there at the beginning, including Anthony’s daughter and son, Nell and Wyatt. They were there helping out on Dec. 27, along with their mother, Mame.

Anthony wants people to know the rink is not just for hockey. It’s only used for hockey on weekends, until noon. He is hoping people will take advantage of  it, especially at night. “For some reason a lot of people still don’t even know we’re here.

“People don’t take advantage of skating at night. The lights are great, and there’s an outside fire pit for anyone to use. You can build a little fire, hook up some music, and skate.”

All he asks is that the last person to leave turns off the lights, by 9 p.m. There are two light switches on the right side of the smokehouse next to the rink. “That’s really been the only problem we’ve had – people leaving the lights on all night.”

Anthony said there really isn’t a good excuse to not skate. “We’ve got the facility, we’ve got the lights, we’ve got the skates.” There’s a small shack beside the rink with around 200 pairs of skates in it for anyone who needs to borrow a pair.

Because the rink is on the fire department’s land, it cannot be made permanent, and Anthony is hoping to obtain a spot for a permanent facility, to include a roof. “If we had a roof we could schedule events and stick with them. Without a roof it’s just too difficult to keep to a schedule because conditions, like snow and rain, make it difficult to keep the ice groomed.

“We really need a permanent facility so we can put down a concrete slab. A slab and a roof would make our life a lot easier.” It would also enable the rink association to provide regular, scheduled programs, including learn to skate programs.

A real Zamboni would make life easier, and more fun, too, for the rink association, but that’s not within reach, at least for this winter.

Anthony said along with the funds raised from bottle returns, the rink has received donations from Boothbay Home Builders and private parties, but “the biggest donation is the labor from the volunteers.”

And it’s a stellar group of volunteers, Anthony said, but he’d love for someone to organize some local students to help out, too.

Anyone who would like to donate to the rink can send a check to the BCA at P.O. Box 81, Boothbay, ME 04537. Donations are tax-deductible.

Most importantly, Anthony wants everyone to know there is a rink at the fire station. The next time you’re driving by, turn in and at least look at it. And if you have the inclination, get out of the car and grab a pair of skates. There are all shapes and sizes in the skate shack. “The more skaters, the better,” Anthony said.

Call 633-3550 with any questions, or 633-2404 for the BCA.