Little Compton Eyes a Hockey Rink in its Future
Local business owners acquired all the equipment last spring and are now working with the town to find the best land for it.
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Little Compton has the necessary equipment to open its own hockey rink pavilion. Now, the town just has to decide where to put it.
Currently, the School Committee and Recreation, Conservation and Open Space Committee are looking at land behind the public safety complex, somewhere near the center of town, or near the tennis courts.
"There's a lot of public sentiment about it," said Steve Flowers, a resident who owns a small welding business. He is one of three locals who seized the opportunity to bring the rink to town last spring at the end of hockey season.
Flowers said Salve Regina University had brought a new hockey rink to Portsmouth Abbey School. Maintenance workers who knew the men from Little Compton informed them the refrigeration tubes that came with the new rink were either blocked, restricted or were not working. A deal was made where if the Little Compton business owners could break down the rink in two weeks, including the concrete slabs and the glass boards, they could take it.
Flowers said they came with their tractors with forklifts and trucks with trailers and got the equipment out in one day.
"It was a challenge removing it," Flowers said. "We started spreading the news looking for a place to put it."
Behind the public safety complex is the most popular idea in town, Flowers noted. He said it is being investigated since they might need to be granted well and abutter restrictions, as well as access to parking.
The overall goal is to have a rink pavilion, which will include a roof, Flowers said. With that, the rink can be converted into a volleyball court or an indoor soccer field.
In This article
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Little Compton Public Safety Complex
60 Simmons Rd, Little Compton, RI -
Salve Regina University
100 Ochre Point Ave, Newport, RI -
Portsmouth Abbey School
285 Corys Ln, Portsmouth, RI
Roy Bonner
10:43 am on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
we do not need the expense of maintaining a hockey Rink and pay the people to do the maintanence.
irene Wilbur
11:02 am on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wonderful idea! Little Compton kids need more recreational things. But money is a question, for a Zamboni, maintanence and someone to oversea everything. Big understaking. Good luck! Irene Wilbur
Polly Allen
11:20 am on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Sounds great! Our kids need more safe rec areas so they don't grow up to be bitter old men!
Roy Bonner
11:34 am on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
HOW ABOUT WE CHARGE FOR MEMBERSHIP --- ?? IS IT STILL A GOOD IDEA OR DO YOU SUGGEST IN "FAIRNESS" THAT WE ALL PAY FOR IT ??
Polly Allen
4:50 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011
Membership or certainly a fee sounds perfectly fine with me.
Bill Gerlach
12:40 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Full disclosure: I live in Tiverton. That said, I think that if forward-thinking community members had the vision and gusto to get this far, they can figure these next steps out. Perhaps if done right, a rink could provide modest revenue to the town once ongoing maintenance costs were covered. Memberships, instructional classes, rink/ice time rentals, leagues, tournaments, even local business/corporate sponsorships if you wanted to go there. Think beyond just Little Compton citizens as users. A quality rink has appeal far beyond town lines.
Josh Mello
12:42 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Great idea!! People will pay to be members. Area hockey clubs or a youth hockey league could also pay for the required maintenance. There are several ways to make it happen and be affordable. Kids get in trouble a lot because they lack structure when the crave it, and are BORED looking for things to do. We use to have all kinds of things in the general area but those things have gone by the wayside because of poor management and sudden lack of interest. The pendulum is swinging back. If it is managed properly then the kids will come and many people will be able to benefit from it for years to come!
Jim L
3:40 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
another reason to put a marriot in Tiverton, hocket tourny's
Robert Marra
5:38 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Shoot the puck....
Good idea as long as we also do French lessons and ban firearms at the rink
Rug Doctor
6:04 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Not to be at all negative but ice rinks are very expensive to run and maintain however many people travel to Fall River to use Driscoll Rink.
Cranky Yankee
7:56 am on Thursday, December 29, 2011
If the organizers can develop an income stream to sustain operations with little or no tax dollars, I'd be open to the Town granting a long-term ground lease for $1/year as well as maintaining the grounds and parking area. The rink would also need to be located where it wouldn't be an eye-sore; the land in back of the police/fire station might be ideal.
Roger Lord
10:37 pm on Thursday, December 29, 2011
Why is it that every time we create a committee - in this case RCOS - we end up with big ideas and big bills? Don't these people have even the slightest understanding of the economy and the plight of those who have been hit hard by it? But it's for the children! When will we have spent enough for the children? $10-million in the school. $100K for soccer fields. $???? on a hockey rink. When is it enough?
Bill Gerlach
9:30 am on Friday, December 30, 2011
Perhaps you could lend your thoughts and voice to the discussion by joining said committees? Proverbially speaking, being part of the team on the field (or in this case, the ice) -- and not screaming from the sidelines -- is the surest way to help get to the goal.
Roger Lord
11:14 am on Friday, December 30, 2011
Dear Bill G.,
I guess you don't get the point. The townspeople can either afford these things... or not. Maybe if you had to go to the food bank to sustain yourself you wouldn't be so free to spend money that comes back in the form of higher taxes. You are part of the "elite" who can only think in terms of their own financial status, their own self-interests, and the rest of us be damned. And I don't have to be a member of any team to criticize what's going on. Spending is spending. Period!
Bill Gerlach
4:01 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011
Dear The Geek,
Let's agree on one thing: I don't know you and you don't know me. If you did, you would know that I am far from being part of "the elite". On the contrary, like many our family lives paycheck to paycheck. Personally, I have chosen to embrace a lifestyle of voluntary simplicity, seeking to live as sustainably as possible, pursuing experiences rather than material excess. I give back to the community in as many ways that I can in order to support all those who call it home. The fact that you have decided to pass judgement on who I am after only a few sentences on the screen is, well, unfortunate.
Yes, of course you can criticize without being part of some formal group. In my experience though, I have found that the best discussions, debates and decisions are had when many voices are represented at the table. You don't have to do it in person either; letters, emails or phone calls can be just as influential.
Perpetuating an "Us" versus "Them" mentality only serves to impede our ability to leverage the collective time and talents that everyone can bring to the table -- no matter their current situation. Communities balance best when we can find our common center and go from there.
If the townspeople who brought the guts of the rink to Little Compton really want it built they will figure out a way to do it, including the possibility of privatizing it and making it a for-profit venture. It doesn't always have to fall to the tax payers.
Thanks,
Bill
Polly Allen
4:48 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011
I'm not sure about French lessons, but why ban fire arms? Maybe we could put in a firIng range too. Imagine if our town could bring in some revenue from some thing else besides the beach? Maybe a rink would provide some more business for local business. As far as when will it ever be enough for the children? I think the answer is never. You get out what you put in to kids, your own, someone else's, or the communities. They need a great education and safe, diverse recreation to compete in the world, whether or not their food is coming from the food pantry, a local farm or flown in from France.
Robert Marra
6:17 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011
If we are to help develop NHL quality players then they will need a working ability to speak Quebec French. If you are on the bench in the NHL be sure to understand what the coach is saying and what the opponents are calling you.
Too many parents have committed criminal acts in support of their hockey brats. I suggest that parent should abstain from coaching their children.
William Bonett
6:25 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011
Robert French speaking players are in the minority in the NHL these days and i think bad parents exist in all sports probably none more than baseball from what I have seen.
Polly Allen
6:36 pm on Friday, December 30, 2011
I was considering it for more of a fun place to go and skate with my family, not only for NHL purposes.
Robert Marra
7:38 am on Saturday, December 31, 2011
Our sons played youth hockey in Stamford, CT. It was an enriching experience that helped them physically and taught life lessons about hard work, winning and sportsmanship. Now our grandson at 3 has hockey skates and will begin to skate this year.
I totally support a citizen sponsored rink for Little Compton and would be a contributor.
Roy Bonner
8:31 am on Saturday, December 31, 2011
What does "citizen sponsored" mean , exactly?
Robert Marra
3:34 pm on Saturday, December 31, 2011
"an inhabitant of a city or town; especially : one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman" Webster Dictionary