The ball hockey rink up at Stage Fort Park is officially open to the public.
“It’s such a fantastic addition to our community,” Mayor Greg Verga wrote on Facebook, “and I hope you are all able to check it out.”
The modern street hockey rink featuring the logo of the Boston Bruins on center “ice” was spearheaded by nonprofit Young Legends Ball Hockey Inc., and it replaced a crumbling basketball court where the organization had played for many years.
The 160- by 80-foot rink can be used by residents whenever it is not booked for programs, events or games, the mayor said.
“Let’s make sure we all play by the posted rules and take good care of the rink so everyone can enjoy it!” the mayor said online, thanking Young Legends and the Department of Public Works for creating the rink.
Some residents in March had aired concerns about why the rink had not yet opened to the public, according to the mayor’s office, which said Public Works had been waiting for rules and regulations signs before opening it up.
There was also concern about whether roller skating or roller blading would be prohibited, since the flooring tiles are not ideal for roller blading and the activity might cause the surfacing to wear out sooner.
However, the rink is open for the community to use without any restrictions on roller skating, the mayor’s Director of Communications and Constituent Services Pam Tobey said.
Roller blading and “inline (roller) hockey” along with “roller derby” and “public roller skating/roller blading” were mentioned as possible uses for the facility as part of Young Legends’ eligibility determination form for city Community Preservation Act funding in January 2022, Tobey said.
In September 2022, the city and Young Legends, which offers street hockey lessons and teams, came to a formal agreement on the use of the rink.
For 18 years, Young Legends had been using the old basketball court, but due to its deterioration and the growing interest in ball hockey in 2019 the organization submitted a proposal to the city to covert the basketball court to the street hockey rink for the use of its members and the community.
In the meantime, the Community Preservation Fund approved $100,000 to pay for a portion of the boards and tiles to construct the rink. Young Legends’ submitted a project budget of more than $631,000, and that it would be responsible for fundraising the balance of the project, make the improvements, and donate the rink to the city, Cahill’s memo said. The organization raised the remainder of the funding from donors and donated the rink to the city.
When Verga came into office in early 2022, a formal agreement between Young Legends and the city was put in place. The deal placed the rink under the control of Public Works, which was charged with establishing rules, regulations, a scheduling system and fees for its use. The agreement gives Young Legends priority for scheduling the rink for its programs.
“At all other times,” the agreement says, “the rink shall be available for the public as a public recreational facility and will also be available to other user groups for scheduled games or activities.”
Information on the Young Legends Ball Hockey league and its offerings can be accessed on the league’s website at www.ylstreethockey.com.
Those who seek to reserve the rink for a group may contact Public Works at 978-325-5600.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.