By:Jason Scheer
Some local residents are angry that the Town of Hempstead has failed to fix the rink in a timely manner. Ron Trimboli, a member of the Baldwin Police Athletic League, says he has grown increasingly frustrated, as the PAL's roller-hockey league has long suffered because of the poor conditions of the rink. Now, with the league scheduled to start in September, Trimboli is afraid the entire league might be wiped out entirely.
After the PAL complained about the rink last year, and the town repaired it in time for the fall season, but because of cracking and thawing in cold weather, the repairs haven't lasted.
"We just have to get this rink done," Trimboli said.
Cold winters cause the surface of the rink to crack and, in the past, have caused the league to suspend playoff games and its instructional program. The town has provided incremental improvements and small repairs, but those are not enough, say PAL volunteers. They contend that conditions have deteriorated to the point where the rink is a safety hazard that can only be remedied by a major renovation project.
"They can't do patchwork anymore," Trimboli said. "They have to put down something completely new."
Town Councilman Anthony Santino told the Herald in May said that for years, the town had been looking into new ways to repair the rink and they recently found a way to give it a more permanent fix.
Last week, a spokesperson said the town has begun taking bids from contractors to fix up the rink, at an estimated cost $50,000, which the town is prepared to pay. But the spokesperson said there is no timetable for the construction and could not say when repairs will begin.
Trimboli says that with the amount of money already decided on, it does not make sense to delay the repairs any longer. "Give me $50,000 and I'll have a crew there tomorrow," he said.
Of course, there is no check coming for the PAL from the town. Furthermore, Trimboli said, there are no answers coming from the town, either, and he feels he has been left in limbo, despite constant communication with the town and frequent visits to the rink. "I personally feel that they are giving us the runaround," he said.
Trimboli looks at nearby towns, like Oceanside, and sees fully functional and very modern skating facilities. "Why can't we get that here?" he wondered.
For the past two years, the league has played games at the Oceanside rink while repairs were undertaken in Baldwin. Trimboli fears that if construction on the rink is delayed any longer, the league will become an association of hockey-loving vagabonds, forced to use other towns' rinks with no home of their own.
Trimboli fears that Baldwin kids will eventually just join leagues in other towns, forcing the league to close and depriving the community of a valuable asset for youth. "We're going to lose our program, because children are going to go to different places," he said.
The PAL is collecting signatures on a petition to expedite the repairs. There are currently 400 names on the petition. However, with the PAL set to send out its newsletter in a week, Trimboli is going to ask for more signatures and is confident that of the 4,800 families on the mailing list, most will be willing to sign.
In the end, the rink's status is directly tied to the survival of the league itself. As of now, Trimboli is not sure what that relationship entails. "Are we going to have a rink or am I going to have to write refund checks in September?" he said.
