Ice fees to remain unchanged

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — A hike in ice rates at the John Millar Arena will not be going into effect this season after all.
    Monday evening, the Houlton Town Council changed its plans to raise ice fees for the start of the next season in the hopes of generating more revenue for the town. The group originally planned to hike the peak time fee from $100 per hour to $130 and also create a non-peak time fee of $75.
    Peak time is listed as Mondays through Fridays, 3-9 p.m. and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturdays. Off-peak time is considered to be 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and 9-midnight Mondays-Fridays and all day on Sundays.
    Because the Southern Aroostook Minor Hockey Association had already based its 2012-13 budget on the previous fee of $100, that group was going to be excluded from the rate hike. That exclusion did not sit well with at least one councilor.
    Councilor Rob Hannigan, who serves on the town’s ice rink committee, stated he was not comfortable raising the rates for everyone except SAMHA. He proposed an amendment to the fee structure to keep it at $100 during peak time for 2012-13, but added the caveat that for 2013-14 the rate would go up to $130 for everyone.
    “I struggle with doing it (rate increase) for everybody but SAMHA,” Hannigan said. “I don’t feel comfortable singling them out and saying they don’t have to pay it. Maybe this isn’t the right time to raise it?”
    Councilor Mike Jenkins, who also served on the advisory committee, said the group discussed the change back in April, but because it was not presented to the council “in a timely manner,” SAMHA had already set its budget.
    “The reason we had to do this (exception) was the ineptitude of the director of the civic center,” Jenkins said. “The town of Houlton will lose at least $11,000 because he did not do his job.”
    Councilors Nancy Ketch and Paul Cleary stated they did not feel personnel matters about town employees should be discussed in an open forum.
    “This is not the place for this,” Cleary said. “This is a discussion about the policy and the price change.”
    Cleary said the initial intent of the change was to both increase the peak hour fee, while encouraging non-peak rentals at the facility.
    Councilors unanimously voted to keep the rate at $100 for peak times and $75 for non-peak times for the next ice season.
    In other agenda items, the council:
    • Discussed a letter from Polaris Cable explaining why CBC (channel 4) had been dropped from the television lineup. Interim Town Manager Cathy O’Leary said Polaris Cable was looking at alternatives for the channel, but no timetable was given for when it would be replaced.
    • Approved a liquor license to Gary L. Dwyer of Elm Tree LLC.
    • Named Marc Russell to the town’s planning board. Russell was one of three candidates interested in the position.
    The next regular council meeting is slated for Monday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.