Watertown Will Get Outdoor Skating Rink in Casey Park Improvements

Hockey players and skaters can look forward to a new rink in town, while Watertown Little League players will have to wait a bit longer for improvements to their field.

Tuesday night, the Town Council approved borrowing $370,000 over 10 years to cover the cost of the Casey Park improvements. The project includes a new street hockey rink, as well as major upgrades of the tennis and basketball courts at the park on on Watertown Street.

The rink will have hockey boards around it and a plastic surface that can be used for roller blading and street hockey. When the weather permits, the rink can be flooded and people will be able to break out their ice skates for some outdoor skating.

The project will cost $629,000, said Recreation Department Director Peter Centola. In addition to the $370,000 borrowed for the project, $259,000 will be used from unspent park project funds.

The project has come before the Council before, but previous bids came in too high, Centola said.

Recreation Department officials considered adding a dugout, backstop, scoreboard and batting cage to the Little League field, but when the costs got too high they were removed, Centola said.

Important for the Neighborhood

Casey Park plays an important role in the lives of residents of the South Side of Watertown, councilors noted.

Resident Holly Master said there are few places for people on the South Side to gather, and the park is the main center for the neighborhood. She added that children are bused to Hosmer School in the East Side of town for elementary school.

"(The park project) is an opportunity to maintain community," Master said.

Mike Venezia said that his father, Artie, who passed away recently, grew up playing hockey in town and had hoped to have a rink like this for years. It is the first time in decades that the town will have an outdoor skating rink.

Greg Salvucci, president of Watertown Youth Baseball, asked the Council to reconsider and find a way to make the improvements to the baseball field, noting that it is used in the spring, summer and fall. 

Councilor Angeline Kounelis said the project brought forward gave the "biggest bang for the buck."

Cecilia Lenk, who represents the South Side on the council, said all the town's recreation facilities are heavily used and agreed that the park is important for the area.

Councilor Ken Woodland said he knows a lot of people in their 20s who look forward to skating on the rink, and he added that the town should look for a way to make the improvements to the baseball field when funds become available.

The project can be completed by the end of 2013, Centola said.