LEYDEN — After three days of tree cutting and assembly, and more than a year of planning, the Leyden Recreation Committee’s new ice rink is complete.
Secretary Mary Lou Barton and her son, Carey Barton, who is chairman of the committee, proposed installing a rink to the right of the town pavilion at Avery Field on Brattleboro Road for the first time last year. However, warm weather during the winter months put their plans on hold.
Carey Barton explained that the town pavilion is largely used as a rental space, and he hoped to offer more activities that all community members could be involved in.
“I thought it was about time to give back to the town,” Carey Barton said as he watched the rink fill with water Friday afternoon. “We’ve talked about doing other functions down here to make it more town-friendly.”
Carey Barton ordered the 30-by-50-foot rink online at www.NiceRink.com, using $2,200 from the Recreation Committee’s revolving account.
After Recreation Committee Treasurer Brian Pelletier and Deerfield resident Josh Schaefer removed the large, rotting tree next to the pavilion on Dec. 4, Carey Barton and his family were able to begin assembly Thursday.
Assembly involved clipping together plastic sides, which are held up by brackets staked into the ground, laying down a thick sheet of plastic, sliding yellow bumpers on the sides and filling the rink with several inches of water. The Bartons used a generator to pump water from a nearby stream on Friday, and by 4 p.m., all that was left to do was wait for the cold temperatures to naturally transform the structure from a shallow pool to a skating rink.
Carey Barton said the Recreation Committee is considering holding a sliding and skating party at the town pavilion after a heavy snowfall.
“I just think it would be a great place for everyone to get together and have a lot of fun,” Mary Lou Barton said previously.
When warmer temperatures return in spring, Carey Barton plans to disassemble the rink and store its parts at the pavilion until next winter.