By DEBBI MORELLO

NEW HARTFORD — Residents will soon benefit from the completion of two projects in town of New Hartford, the long anticipated Chapin Park Ice Skating Rink and the roof repairs on the Brodie Park Field House.

With an unseasonably warm December, the completion of the skating rink kept getting delayed. When temperatures dropped into the teens on Tuesday Public Works flooded the frame of the rink with water.

“The ice skating rink was one of the first things we wanted to do, we thought it was a great idea. ” First Selectman Dan Jerram said. “It was a low-cost way for the town to provide a nice winter amenity.”

Jerram said that for only about $1,000, the town was able to increase the original skating rink by more than one-third to 66’ by 100’.

Residents have been inquiring for weeks, but now that there will be some prolonged cold weather the rink will freeze overnight,

“On the one hand, the warmer weather has been an advantage for other projects,” Jerram said. “We’ve been able to see more progress on our storm remediation efforts and we’ve nearly completed the new roof on the Field House.

The former gymnasium at Brodie Park has been plagued with a leaking roof for years.

“When the Highway Dept. comes to me and says the roof is no longer safe it’s an easy allocation of municipal funds,” Jerram said.

The existing facility is 6,400 square feet — the cost to build a new facility of that size could cost $600,000 to $800,000, Jerram said. He added that is not money the town can afford to spend when a structure already exists. Continued…

The central portion of the roof was already replaced 15 years ago but this time the pitch of the roof was raised significantly.

Dennis Minor, Recreation Director for New Hartford is quite enthusiastic about the future possibilities.

“The potential use for this is tremendous,” Miller said. “It’s been a long time coming.”

The kinds of programs could range from floor hockey to concerts. Minor said back in the day the stage in the building was put to good use, particularly for outdoor concerts when it rained. It is also the largest indoor basketball facility in town.

Ultimately it will be up to the Recreation Commission to identify priorities and next steps.

Jerram said for now it provides a basic storage need and provides us with many options in the future.

“What’s important is that we know that the building is safe, secure and sealed to the weather,” Jerram said.

The project cost was about $40,000 and looks to come in under budget.