A little more than a year ago, a few residents of the Town of Mount Desert got the idea that a skating rink would be  a great asset for the town during the winter. A few months later, we had organized, raised funds, and created a simple rink on top of the tennis courts at the Northeast Harbor marina. The rink opened over the Christmas holiday, and it quickly proved to be a great success. Originally envisioned as a place to provide much-needed recreation for local kids, it almost immediately became an asset for the whole town . . . and beyond, drawing skaters

and families from across Hancock County. We quickly realized its potential to (1) build a sense of community within the town and (2) be an engine of economic development for the town, especially during the winter months when the days are short, many merchants have closed, and the remaining few struggled to stay open.

After researching various rink options, we chose a “Build Your Backyard Ice Rink” kit from EZ-Ice Rinks* and set out to raise $20,000 through the nonprofit Town of Mount Desert Community Development Corporation. We initially approached people we knew who loved MDI and were – or had once been – avid skaters and hockey players, and then asked the local merchants. The response from both groups, as well as others who had heard of the project, astounded us. Within weeks we had in hand $35,000, with which to buy the rink equipment and to hire Peter Bronson as rink manager and skating teacher.

The Harbor Committee readily granted us the use of the marina tennis courts, as well as some storage space, the Fire Department provided the water and filled the rink, and volunteers showed up from the beginning. Our season ran from December 28 to March 14. The rink was open for 38 days and 170 hours of skating, and about 1,000 skaters of all ages and abilities showed up, with many little ones using milk crates for support. One of the season’s highlights was the first annual Northeast Harbor Winter Classic, sponsored by the Nor’Easter Pound & Market and featuring a wooden trophy created by Dan Falt. It drew teams from as far away as Blue Hill. At the end of the season, the rink was donated to the town of Mount Desert, which has created a $10,000 line item in its annual operating budget. We will continue to raise tax-deductible contributions through the town’s Community Development Corporation for capital expenses, including upgrading the rink.

While the rink surpassed our initially modest expectations, we soon learned that it was only a first step. Because of warming winters, there were too many days either with no ice at all or when we had to close early due to the intensity of the afternoon sun. Still, we noted, the rink proved a more reliable and safer alternative than the local ponds. Despite our minimal marketing abilities, we were amazed at how many people from all over the area found us on Facebook and our website.

As a result of both the successes and challenges of the first winters, we have embarked on the next step, which is to install a professional cooling system that will allow the rink to remain open for both more days and longer hours. This equipment – including piping built into the new tennis court surface, compressors, and refrigeration equipment – is projected to at least double the number of days during which the rink will be open for skating and lengthen each day of operation, despite afternoon sunshine. We hope to be operational from November into March.