Stoneham Arena drawing crowds, maybe even Bruins
Recent renovations boost use and help put ice rink in the black
For some 35 years, the town-owned and operated Stoneham Arena has been a familiar sporting destination in Greater Boston. With seating for 1,800 spectators, the rink has always attracted interstate junior hockey and high school tournaments. It's the hometown arena of two-time Olympic figure-skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan.
In recent years, though, it had fallen into ill repair. Plagued by frequent roof leaks and shoddy boards and protective glass, it was bleeding money at a rate of $100,000 a year on average, according to town officials.
But the rink is enjoying a resurgence in popularity.
With a major makeover and new management in place, the bowl-style arena is regaining its luster and once again drawing members of the skating elite. Recently, it even caught the eye of Boston Bruins top brass.
Located just 10 miles north of Boston, the arena could provide a more convenient location for the team, which now practices at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington.
With the Wilmington lease coming up for renewal in two years, Bruins management is considering moving its practice headquarters to Stoneham, a move that would require expansion of Stoneham Arena's facilities, according to current and former town officials.
The rink underwent $199,000 in renovations this past March, and has already become a venue for a handful of professional skaters and attracted droves more from all skill levels and ages.
"The renovations at the Stoneham Arena are great," Kerrigan said recently in an e-mail. "They really improve the atmosphere, making it nicer, brighter, cleaner."
But things were not looking up until just a couple years ago. Over a period of nearly a decade, the arena had lost nearly $1 million, said Stoneham town accountant Ronald Florino. The future looked so bleak the town considered leasing the rink to a private management company. In the end, Florino said, the town hired Louis Chiulli, a North Shore native with 25 years experience in rink management. Since Chiulli came on board in 2005 as rink manager, the facility has been generating upwards of $100,000 in annual surplus revenue.
This spring the arena underwent the upgrades that have continued to reinvigorate business. Rink Systems of Minnesota installed an energy-efficient ceiling, National Hockey League-grade steel sideboards, and shatterproof glass. The renovations will pay for themselves in a few years, Chiulli said. The arena looks so good and operates so efficiently that Rink Systems uses it as a local showcase for prospective clients.
But even before the renovations, in 2006, then-selectman George Siebold was already lobbying Bruins upper management to consider moving the team's practice activities to Stoneham.
"Stoneham Arena is the best-located rink in the entire state," he says. "It's got so much potential and is an absolute gem. Having the Bruins in town would be great for everyone."
Siebold, who left office in April, is no longer involved in negotiations with the Bruins, but he believes town officials and the team are ironing out specifics on a deal. Those details will have to be finalized soon, Siebold said, if additional construction is required by 2010, when the Wilmington lease ends.
He said local builders have donated the services of an architect who drew up elaborate designs for the arena's expansion, which include building an additional rink, second-floor business offices, a sauna, and a conference room. Given the slope of the property, the designs also call for an underground parking facility for the team.
"This would be a win-win for the Bruins and the town if the numbers all work," Town Administrator David Ragucci said Monday. "Who wouldn't want the Bruins in their town?"
The Bruins front office would not say, however, whether there have been any talks to move the team's practice facilities to Stoneham. "Our plans are to be in Wilmington in the near future," Matthew Chmura, the Bruins' director of public relations, said last week.
Meanwhile, figure skaters and others are flocking to the Stoneham arena, with Kerrigan stopping by frequently during morning public skating hours to hone her skills as other skaters, not quite yet Olympians, hit the ice.
This is where private figure-skating coach Dmitry Palamarchuk, a four-time Ukrainian national pairs champion, gives weekday lessons to children who are home-schooled to allow for the time the sport demands.
Sisters Janelle and Brook Maddaleni of Saugus train regularly at the arena under Palamarchuk's watch. Alongside the Maddaleni sisters is Palamarchuk's daughter, Alina, who is preparing for the Ukrainian nationals competition.
The precision sport also draws the very young to the rink, where Doreen McNulty, the town's part-time, preschool figure-skating coach, conducts lessons several times a week and is also one of the directors of a private school called the Learn to Figure Skate Club.
McNulty's youngest student, 4-year-old Annabelle Rie of Melrose, who has asthma, has found a safe haven of sorts at Stoneham Arena. Her mother, Paula Rie, raves about the cleanliness and exceptional air quality, which she believes helps keep Annabelle from having an asthma attack. She said she also appreciates the family atmosphere the arena staff provides.
For Chiulli, a Winthrop native who lives in Saugus, the secret to the rink's success is quite simple: hard, hands-on work. Chiulli said he was particularly drawn to the position at Stoneham Arena because he believed the rink was a diamond in the rough that simply needed a few tweaks to expose its splendor.
While the arena has always attracted interstate hockey action with its convenient location just off Interstate 93 and its large seating capacity, the recent renovations have contributed to the upswing in business.
Chiulli said he believes the quality of the ice is a major selling point for the variety of hockey leagues that play there. "I'm very diligent about keeping the ice and lines vibrant," he said recently, after climbing off the Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine. "And this ice is kept at a steady 16 degrees."
Chiulli and his staff were gearing up for Nov. 30, the first Sunday public skate date of the year, which traditionally attracts the largest crowd of the season during the 4 to 6 p.m. run. The fee for public skating is relatively inexpensive by today's standards: $4 for adults, $3 for children under 16.
Given the financial squeeze on municipalities statewide, Chiulli says he remains hopeful of offsetting a 20 percent budget cut he expects in 2010. One way he plans to generate more revenue is by selling advertising banners on the inside boards surrounding the ice, like the ones at TD Banknorth Garden, for $2,500 apiece annually.
And whether or not the Bruins deal comes to fruition, things are going just fine at the arena.
"Just look at it - it's a great place," Chiulli said.
Bella Travaglini can be reached at bellatrav@gmail.com. 