BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

CANTON — A community-driven effort to rehabilitate the busted boards and crumbled surface of the outdoor ice rink next to the Canton Pavilion into a multi-use space is underway.

The rink, which hasn’t been used actively for a few years, has seen better days. Holes smashed through the sideboards are the most obvious maintenance on the list, but a host of other work needs to be done there as well. An all volunteer group has decided to tackle the work and revive the rink for year-round use.

Tim Abplanalp who is organizing the effort to bring the space back to life says the rehab work is going to require a good deal of fundraising.

“Just for the (main) stuff we plan to do, we’re looking at $40,000, maybe more,” he said.

However, an anonymous local donor has agreed to commit $20,000 to the effort, Abplanalp said.

Abplanalp said fundraising is being run through Canton Minor Hockey which has non-for-profit status, but the rink will be a must-use space available all year round.

“Right now we are planning a lot of different things,” Abplanalp said. “It would be cool to have a food truck night (at the pavilion on Lincoln Street).”

Other ideas include a benefit lacrosse tournament. The group will be looking for corporate sponsors, local organizations and community members to raise money for the effort as well.

He said while the space has traditionally served as an outdoor rink for local hockey and skating, the focus now is on multi-use. The grass-roots group working on the project plans to add basketball courts and have the space open for roller hockey, box lacrosse and skateboarding as well.

Bringing the old rink back to life was put forth on an earlier community survey circulated by the Canton recreation department, said Village Mayor Mike Dalton. Canton Village Trustee Carol Pynchon said the idea originally was maybe to turn the space into a dedicated outdoor skatepark (the village is still interested in exploring that idea at another location in the future, Pynchon said).

Abplanalp said rehabilitation and maintenance of the outdoor rink came up again at one of the recent Reimagining Canton Recreation meetings he attended.

“I was part of the generic crowd. I opened my mouth and somebody said, ‘Well go ahead and do it if you want.’” Abplanalp said.

One of the most obvious needs at the rink are new boards, with higher backsplashes to keep play on the court/rink.

“We hope to keep the metal and put some new boards on, but it will need some realigning,” he said.

He said he hopes to have some of the funds raised by May to get work started. Abplanalp said they would like to be able to approach manufacturers with around $10,000 to order the sideboards by then.

Abplanalp welcomes help and suggestions from the community on the project as well.

“I’m up for suggestions on fundraisers or suggestions on what they would like done,” he said.

Anyone interested in lending a hand can contact him at tim.apple47@gmail.com.