Projected image of the newly renovated Six Rivers Youth Sports Center in 2024. Image contributed by Chelsea Bickford
A Topsham group hopes to open an indoor ice rink next year, helping to fill the winter sports void left by the recent collapse of the neighboring Dome at Coastal Maine Storm.
Six Rivers Youth Sports purchased the building, formerly known as Roller World, at 20 Atwood Road in 2021 and has been using it as an indoor sports facility for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and dry land training for youth ice hockey leagues. After two years of ownership, board members have decided it’s time to add an ice rink and reduce travel time for local hockey players.
Six Rivers President Bill Patterson said the entire project will cost $5 million, including weatherproofing the existing facility and making upgrades to its bathrooms. He said his team has raised $1.2 million so far, working with a local fundraising firm.
“One of the drivers that got us started was the lack of ice time,” Patterson said. “It’s a tough time of year to keep kids active.”
Patterson said school hockey teams in Brunswick and Topsham often travel to Falmouth or Lewiston-Auburn to snag ice time. He said some teams practice as early as 4:50 a.m. at Bowdoin College to avoid a long commute.
Hockey players get the short end of the stick compared to a basketball team with the flexibility to practice in their school gym any given day, Patterson said. Adding an ice rink will make ice skating sports more accessible, he said.
It also would serve as a new indoor sports venue after the loss of the sports dome next door, which collapsed last week under the weight of ice and snow, leaving several area teams without a place to play.
Patterson said he was disappointed to hear about the dome collapsing but remains optimistic the space will be used again, at least for outdoor athletics.
Attempts to reach the owners of the Dome at Coastal Maine Storm on Monday were unsuccessful.
“Our community has been so lucky to have it for two decades,” Patterson said. “We will never replace it, but we already have a small space where you can do a lot of things.”
The turf at Six Rivers Youth Sports is 65 feet by 150 feet. Photo contributed by Chelsea Bickford
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