Plans to build street hockey courts at Arnold Park are continuing to move forward following a Select Board discussion last night.
“We need more recreational opportunities for the children of this town,” said Select Board member Amanda Zompetti.
Abington Street Hockey League officials have been working with town committees on a plan to build a new street hockey rink at the North Abington park, as well as make other improvements. The organization currently uses the two fenced-in basketball courts in front of the police station. However those courts will soon be demolished as part of the upcoming fire station/DPW complex project leaving the popular summer league without a home.
Selectman Roger Woods told a large crowd that turned out for the meeting he asked to get an update on the project, not because he opposes it, but because he and other board members thought it was still being planned for a vacant parcel off Gliniewicz Way.
“I 1,000 percent support hockey,” Woods, a former Abington High hockey player, said at the start of the discussion. “I’m hearing feedback that I’m against it, and that’s absurd.”
Bryan Woodford, the president of the street hockey league and Green Wave varsity hockey coach, said the town already has several dedicated spaces for baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, tennis, and pickleball, but nothing for hockey.
“We feel we have a tremendous amount of support behind this,” Woodford told the Select Board
The town has been trying to figure out what to do with the empty parcels along Gliniewicz Way for a couple years now. Town Meeting approved buying the land from Woods back in 2016 in case the new high school needed additional parking, but it has since sat vacant. This year’s state budget included $25,000 so the town could conduct planning, designing and permitting of youth outdoor recreational areas” for the space.
Town Manager Scott Lambiase told the Select Board that last year he convened a meeting of stakeholders from the schools, public works, parks & recreation, and elsewhere to discuss the future of the land, but the discussion expanded to also explore underused spaces at Arnold Park, Memorial Field, and Green Street Park.
Woodford has been working with the Community Preservation Committee the past couple years to secure funding for a dedicated street hockey rink in town. Discussions have since solidified around Arnold Park.
Lambiase said it was his intention to report back to the Select Board that the focus had changed away from Gliniewicz Way, however, the issue was pushed “to the side of my desk” while preparing for the November Special Town Meeting and ongoing budget discussions.
Select Board Chairman Kevin Donovan said he supports building a street hockey rink but raised concerns whether it legally could be built at Arnold Park. He believes the original deed from the Arnold Family giving the town the land contains a restriction against building structures on the park.
“We were always told we couldn’t put a fence around it because it violated terms of the will,” said Donovan, a former member of the Parks & Rec Commission. He added he wasn’t sure what the legal definition of a structure is, but asked Lambiase to look into the issue, as well as push forward with the Gliniewicz Way study.
Zompetti pointed out that there’s already a basketball court and hoops, as well as a playground on the park land. The park’s Little League field also includes fenced-off dugouts, a fence backstop, and a small storage container. She said the Select Board shouldn’t place any hurdles in front of the street hockey rink project.
“This is something that’s been going on for three years,” said Zompetti, who previously chaired the Community Preservation Committee. “If we can’t build a street hockey rink and basketball courts because someone donated land years ago, that frustrates me.”
The Community Preservation Committee is still working with the street hockey league to iron out the full details of the proposed project. Currently, the plan calls for building a junior-size rink, and fencing in the existing asphalt basketball court to give the league two contained spaces for games. The groups are also looking into whether the town would have enough funds to upgrade the playground as well.
Speaking to the Select Board, Woodford listed a number of reasons he believes Arnold Field is the superior choice over Gliniewicz Way. Those reasons included less noise impact on neighbors (the Gliniewicz Way site is located directly next to the Lincoln Village townhouses), the need to bring in port-a-pottys to the Gliniewicz Way when one already exists at Arnold Field, the ability to upgrade lighting at Arnold Park compared to Gliniewicz Way, and the need to spruce up the park overall.
Woodford also said relocating the league to Arnold Park would bring an economic boost to North Abington Center, as scores of families look for dinner options before, during, or after games. The Depot, Abington House of Pizza, and Lynch’s Tavern are a few of the establishments withing walking distance of Arnold Park, he said.
The Boston Bruins Foundation has committed up to $50,000 to offset the costs of building a street hockey rink in Abington, confirmed Alex Bezanson who worked with the foundation to secure the grant. However, that commitment may only be good through 2025, he said.
The Select Board unanimously voted to allow the street hockey league to continue working toward a rink at Arnold Park while also using the state grant to identify recreational opportunities at the Gliniewicz Way location.
The Community Preservation Committee is currently reviewing all funding requests for Fiscal Year 2026 and will hold a public hearing on the requests within the next few weeks. Town Meeting then needs to approve funding the recommended slate of projects.
You must be logged in to post a comment.