Watertown Rec. Dept. Wants an Outdoor Skating Rink at Casey Park

Ice skates could be gliding on an outdoor sheet of ice if the Recreation Departement's plans become a reality.

The rink would be used for skating during the winter and street hockey and other games during the warmer months, said Recreation Department Director Peter Centola. It is part of the plan for the renovation of Casey Park on Watertown Street.

The ice would be surrounded by board with a chain-link fence on top, rather than plexiglas, said Glen Howard of design firm CDM presented the plans to the Town Council Tuesday night.

"It would be about half the length and 75 percent the width of the rink used by the (NHL's Boston) Bruins," Howard said.

Town Councilor Angeline Kounelis worried that people might get hurt if they hit the poles holding up the chain-link fence. Safety was a concern for Town Council President Mark Sideris, too.

"The problem I have is security," Sideris said. "It has fences aroudn it, but it doesn't look like it goes all the way around. I don't want people climbing over at 10 o'clock at night and getting hurt."

Improvements also include upgrading the tennis courts, and the lights for the whole park, including the little league baseball field, Centola said. A new scoreboard would be installed for baseball, too. The parking lot at Casey Field would also be improved, Howard said.

The estimated costs of the project is $537,000, Centola said.

The project was planned to be completed in Fiscal 2013, accoding to the town's five-year capital plan, but Town Manager Michael Driscoll said it may be done this year. He wants to bid it at the same time as the – the former Browne School Playground – so they may get a better price for economy of scale.