Photo: A debt exclusion for a new rink will be on the April 4 town election ballot.

Dear Fellow Belmont Citizens:

If you would be so kind, please allow me a few minutes of your time. April 4 is the day to vote for the approval of a new rink. You may have voted in November for this already or decided you didn’t want to approve a new rink.

If you are the latter, would you please consider this:

I could tell you the rink desperately needs replacing, which is costly, but, unfortunately, remodeling is not a viable option. 

I can tell you the price of the rink has been reduced significantly to $29 million.

I could tell you the price of a new rink ten years ago may have been a third of the price and the price ten years from now may be a third more. 

Money – yes – top of mind / important, of course, but can we also think about this:

What makes a great town great?

Most would agree town services, town facilities, infrastructure, schools & school services, town center, homes / real estate property values, proximity to Boston and the community itself. 

When we fall short, we all fall short. 

We diminish our greatness and great potential when we vote from a narrow viewpoint. 

Often we are called to vote for the greater good, the good of our town and your town!

If providing a facility:

For our little ones to learn how to skate,

For the public to enjoy public skating at any age and be able to rent skates,

For the high school field sports athletes to have changing rooms and bathrooms,

For those attending community events on Harris Track & Field to have bathrooms and a concession area,

For the recreation department to have a space to offer expanded community programming in the summer, like camps, adult classes, movie nights, concerts,

For our youth and high school boys and girls to play hockey and compete with other towns,

For families to gather and make memories and friendships to last a lifetime.

If all this doesn’t personally hit home with you, OK. But please consider the fact is we all live in this town. We all live in a great town. Let’s keep Belmont great. Let’s not remove a piece of our town and not replace it for future generations. 

Think again. Think about voting YES for Belmont, YES for the Rink on April 4.

Thank you in advance for your time. 

Laureen Federico 

Ivy Road