Courtesy image/Caleb Johnson Studios
CAPE ELIZABETH — Cape Elizabeth Town Council voted Feb. 14 to send the Cape Elizabeth Community Arena Group to the planning board for its proposed ice rink.
The council voted 5-2 which enables the Cape Community Arena Group to enter the next phase of its plan of building an open-air ice rink. According to an online statement made by the town of Cape Elizabeth, councilor Nicole Boucher and councilor Gretchen Noonan both voted against the motion and said they would be willing to work with Cape Elizabeth Community Arena Group in order to move forward. The top issue for the two councilors are the design elements and wanting to see more.
“I think there are still design elements that probably still need to be decided upon based on the uses the community sees,” Boucher said. “What does the public want? What other uses are there? Right now, I am hearing hockey first; but maybe in a community there are different uses that are first.
“I would love to talk about all those things that we would be talking about if we were going to spend money and bid on this project, and I don’t think we have had that discussion yet. I would love to see that so the design could be influenced by that and then the planning board process will go much smoother than trying to decide things at the same time. I think that this would be a great next step.”
The Cape Elizabeth Middle School and high school teams will benefit from the project and will be used for multiple community uses.
Cape Elizabeth High School hockey, Cape Elizabeth Community Service, Cape Elizabeth soccer and the Seacoast United Maine Soccer League have all expressed interest in the project. During the winter months, the rink would be available for ice hockey, figure skating and community skating. For the pre-season spring sports, pickle ball, graduations, community summer camps, fall sports and other events would be featured uses.
The early plans for the arena include a fully covered and refrigerated ice rink and a year-round multi-use facility. The bleachers will be located on one wall at the high end of the roof and connected to the amenities. The amenities include a warming room, locker rooms, skate rental and a workout room.
The arena will be located next to the public works building and adjacent to Gull Crest Fields that is off Cooper Drive. A potential donor has offered to fund the entire project which has been estimated to cost $5 million.
Upon approval, fundraising and getting the supplies in place, the board would like to break ground in the spring so the Cape Elizabeth High School hockey team could use the ice rink for a portion of its 2022-2023 season.
The agreement will be finalized as the Cape Elizabeth Community Arena Group begins to work with the planning board.
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