Photo: It’s a constuction site now but just wait.

The proposed skating rink and recreation center adjacent to Harris Field on Concord Avenue has as many lives as a lucky cat.

An initial attempt in 2019 to replace the dilapidated Skip Viglirolo facility with a public/private venture stalled before it even started. Then the first attempt in November 2022 at a publicly financed building failed at the ballot box. Even when a second chance vote was successful in April of ’23, the project was nearly scuttled when it was discovered to be millions of dollars over budget, requiring a last-minute bailout by Town Meeting in 2024. And those near-death moments don’t even include environmental issues, electrical changes and a slew of value engineering decisions that left the building bruised and battered.

But like that charmed cat, when all believed the project was a goner, it somehow shows up at the door having survived all the misadventures none the worst for wear – even if it’s missing a tip of its tail. For the past month, large earth-moving equipment has been … moving earth as the first evidence that the rink facility has become a reality.

On Thursday, Sept. 5 at 10 a.m., the Belmont community is invited by the stalwarts of the Municipal Skating Rink Building Committee to attend the public groundbreaking ceremony for the new rink and sports facility at the building site on Concord Avenue.

Join the Building Committee, members of the Select Board, and town administration, School Department and Committee, as well as representatives from Skanska, The Galante Architecture Studio, and the Owner’s Project Manager, CHA as they put shovels to dirt on this landmark occasion.

Closed-toe shoes are required at the site.