West Lebanon
Rink manager Dick Dodds confirmed as much on Monday, saying that the facility would make its case in front of the Lebanon Zoning Board next week to try and alleviate the situation.
“It’s a real concern,” Dodds said. “Nobody knew.”
The rink, which opened its doors on Feb. 27, 1988, according to its website, operates seasonally and has been operating from early September through late April for the past several years.
The original 1987 zoning board decision that allowed for the opening of the rink states the facility cannot start its season until mid-October, operating through mid-March. That ruling set the rink’s business hours at 6 a.m. to midnight.
The board four months ago gave its approval to the expansion, which would triple the facility’s size with the inclusion of a second sheet of ice. Campion would also gain the ability to operate year-round.
Under that approval, the ice rink’s hours have been set from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. from mid-October to mid-March. For the remainder of the year, the rink can be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. every day of the week with the exception of Sunday, when hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
The project still needs to go before the Lebanon Planning Board and will be reviewed by the Lebanon Conservation Commission as well.
An email sent to members of the Hanover Hockey Association on Saturday pleaded to members for “assistance in appealing to the Lebanon Zoning Board to maintain the existing Campion Rink operating schedule,” noting that the shorter schedule would “adversely impact our children’s hockey seasons.”
Campion lists eight different ice hockey programs on its website, three of which begin classes in September. Dodds said that, over the years, the demand for programs that began earlier, as well as competition from competing ice rinks that opened their doors earlier every year, has become too great to ignore, forcing Campion Rink to begin its season closer to the end of summer.
“There are a lot of competitors who are already on the ice,” Dodds said. “It’ll have a big effect on youth programs.”
In July, rink attorney Nate Stearns and the zoning board were conflicted over hours of operation that both made sense for the rink financially and helped relieve the overwhelming demand for ice time in the Upper Valley. Now, it seems, the two sides have hit another road bump.
Jeffrey Graham, general manager of the rink, did not return phone calls for comment on Monday. Stearns did not return emails. City planning officials Tim Corwin and David Brooks also did not immediately respond.
Both Campion and one neighbor have asked for a rehearing before the ZBA. Campion says the new hours don’t allow it to adequately operate, while a neighbor argues the rink didn’t provide enough evidence the expansion is necessary.
That rehearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday at Lebanon City Hall.
Valley News staff writer Tim Camarato contributed to this report.Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.