Founders Memo & Data 4.10.25 — File 25-0776

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR KATJANA BALLANTYNE JILL LATHAN SUSAN YERKES COMMISSIONER DIRECTOR 1 Date: April 10, 2025 To: City Council From: Jill Lathan, Commissioner of DPW Sue Yerkes, Director of Parks & Recreation RE: Item 25-0456 – Requesting the appropriation of $160,000 from the Unreserved Fund Balance ("Free Cash") to the Department of Public Works Repairs to Buildings Account for fabrication and installation of courts at Founders Rink. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Dear Members of the City Council, The Department of Public Works requests your approval to appropriate $160,000 dollars from the Unreserved Fund Balance ("Free Cash") to the DPW Repairs to Buildings Account 0140752-524001, for the purpose of the Fabrication and Installation of courts for intergenerational recreation activities at the Founders Rink. The multi-use surface will allow for a broader range of activities and transform Founders into a multi- purpose recreation hub serving residents of all ages and abilities. This request comes after a successful pilot period in 2024 ending on December 5 showcasing the community's demand for diverse recreational activities. The center will offer programming spring, summer, and fall throughout the day, catering to various age groups: preschoolers and seniors in the mornings, teens in the afternoons, adult athletics in the evenings, and family-friendly activities on weekends. The facility will be used each year for recreation programming from mid-March (weather permitting) to early December. The consistent availability of this facility will allow Parks and Recreation to build on past successes in tots to senior programming and roll out new programs like volleyball, Zumba, and adaptive youth activities. The city has heard directly from teens about their desire for recreation activities, as well as from seniors about the need for additional space for physical exercise programs. One of the biggest barriers to meeting these needs is space. With Edgerly in use for the Winter Hill School, the City lost critical – and significant – space for multiple Recreation Department activities for all ages. Founders Rink was identified as the best available space to replace that capacity and provide the variety of programs needed to serve all Somerville residents. Veterans Memorial Rink, another ice rink in Somerville next door to Founders, will continue to offer ice hockey and skating to the City and region with priority given to Somerville youth. This funding proposal includes the cost of purchasing and installing a subfloor, which protects the concrete surface of the Founders rink and preserves the options to lay down ice in future seasons. Installing this floor at Founders makes smart use of current resources to provide the recreation space that residents need today. Somerville’s two ice rinks have traditionally served both local athletes and residents for ice sports, as well as regional users including hockey leagues. The administration is confident that Veterans Rink, as well as

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR KATJANA BALLANTYNE 2 rinks in neighboring communities, can continue to serve Somerville ice users and regional hockey leagues, which serve both Somerville and area players, while Somerville residents interested in other activities gain access to Founders. This Council has requested additional information regarding the option to include ice rink uses during winter months. Appendix A contains a cost breakdown for the proposal before you (Option 1) and the cost for an option that maintains ice use (Option 2). Additionally, there were concerns raised about the impact of this change at Founders on youth hockey in Somerville. Appendix B provides data on historical rink usage has been provided from Parks & Recreation Department and FMC Ice Sports as well as data from the 2024 season during the multi-use Founders pilot. The data demonstrates that shifting ice uses fully to Veterans rink during the 2024 Founders pilot did not reduce the number of hours for Somerville youth hockey, instead, due to prioritization of youth at the Veterans rink there was increased ice time for Somerville youth. Thank you, Jill Lathan Commissioner, Department of Public Works Sue Yerkes Director, Parks & Recreation

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR KATJANA BALLANTYNE 3 Appendix A Flooring Price Breakdown The Founders Ice Arena measures 150 ft by 60 ft with an area of 9,000 sq ft. Parks & Recreation has requested 4 Pickleball Courts with White lines and 1 Futsal Court with Royal Blue Lines. I. Option 1 – Recreation flooring laid year round The recommended product for expanding recreational purposes is Basketball Court Tile Gym Floor Pro 9/16 Inch x 1x1 Ft. (Pro Court). This material is currently priced at $6.45/sq ft. To cover 9,000 sq ft it would cost $58,050.00. Installation of flooring is estimated to require 360 hours at $90 equaling $32,400 + 25% ($8,100) for a total of $40,500.00. In order to protect the concrete surface of the rink, a subfloor is required. Materials for the subfloor are currently priced at $1.95/sq ft. For 9000 sq. ft. It would cost $17,550 + 25% ($4,388) for a total of $21,938.00. Installation of subfloor is estimated to require 144 hours at $90 equaling $12,960 + 25% ($3,240) for a total of $16,200.00. Lining cost $3,000 per pickle ball court, for the four courts requested that would equal $12,000. Lining cost $6,000 for Futsal courts, bringing the total for lining cost to $18,000. This option will allow recreational use of Founders for 8.5 months, weather permitting, from mid- March to early December. There would be limited or no use of the facility for 2.5 months from December to mid-March. II. Option 2 - Recreation flooring laid part of the year, ice during the winter The recommended product would remain the same as in Option 1, Basketball Court Tile Gym Floor Pro 9/16 Inch x 1x1 Ft. (Pro Court), including the purchase of the subfloor. Cost for the materials will be one-time costs of $58,050.00 and $21,938.00 as detailed above. The following sequence and associated costs would be incurred annually. Costs occurring annually 1. Install Subfloor and Pro Court gym tile flooring: $56,700.00. • Installation of the floor and subfloor will remain at $40,500 and $16,200, as detailed above in Option 1 for a combined cost of $56,700. • Estimated 504 hours of labor - 360 hours for flooring, 144 hours for subfloor (see details above in Option 1) 2. Remove Pro Court gym tile flooring: $45,000.00. 3. Remove Subflooring and move both subflooring & Pro Court gym tile flooring in a weather tight Storage trailer: • Labor rates: 9 (Movers) x $72.84 ea. x 16 hrs. ea.= $10,488.96 • Straight Truck & One (1) Driver: Labor rates x $113.85 x 16 hrs.= $1,821.60 • Storage Weather Trailer estimated cost: $1,700.00 monthly x 4.5 months= $7,650.00. • Subtotal: $19,960.56 4. Make new ice & remove at end of season (water utilities, painting, labor) • Summary of Ice Making costs from FMC: o Slab Prep (Cleaning) -$2,500.00 o Ice Painting (Paint & Labor) - $6,000.00 o Ice Build Up to 1"- $10,000.00 o Removal of 1" or Less - $9,250.00

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR KATJANA BALLANTYNE 4 o Paint Clean-up - $3,600 Subtotal: $31,350 5. Reinstall subfloor and floor – cost counted just once for annual calculations Additionally, there are other variables that need to be considered under Option 2 for the formation of ice as it can alter the process. • The conditions inside the Founders facility varies due to having garage doors as most of its walls play a major role in ice forming conditions. • Ice cannot be painted in fog/higher humidity and ice temps need to be in the lower teens. Jet Ice states 14 degrees slab temp for painting. • Additionally, the water cost to put ice in as well as the sewerage cost associated with that. (Still charged sewage even though you are freezing the water) • The refrigeration plant needs to be in operation prior to the days of painting & icing. This duration would depend on current conditions (outside and inside) as you get closer to the opening date. Typically, we work backwards from the opening date. • You are not only trying to pull the slab temp down, but the temp in the building itself while controlling humidity to prepare for the amount of water you will be presenting to the existing controlled elements. So the system is going to run continuously while the DHU is also running and this will continue until everything balances out. The result being the gas/electric and water skyrocket for this time frame. • Worse case plan for about 10,000 gallons of water. The ice could set up great, it could not, it could run under the kickplate. Again, there are a lot of variables that can change things. Just need to know how to handle those and adapt quickly as they arise to minimize the cost and get back to plan. Ice also requires constant maintenance and if the city took on this aspect, we would need to purchase a Zamboni. Several cost estimates are listed below. 1) Zamboni option 1 package: • Propane powered 526 model with options $113,585.00. • Zamboni model 200- tractor attachment $12, 500.00 • Zamboni electric ice edger $5,750.00 • Blade change system $ 3,175.00 • Transportation $3,250.00 Option 1 total: $135,335.00 2) Zamboni option 2 package: • Propane powered 526 model with options $166,868.00. • Zamboni model 200- tractor attachment $12, 500.00 • Zamboni electric ice edger $5,750.00 • Transportation $3,250.00 Option 2 total: $188,368.00 3) Zamboni option 3 package: • Zamboni Model 650LI model with options $168,250.00 • Zamboni model 200- tractor attachment $12, 500.00 • Zamboni electric ice edger $5,750.00

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR KATJANA BALLANTYNE 5 • Transportation $3,250.00 Option 3 total: $189,750.00 4) Zamboni option 4 package: • Olympia Millennium H Propane powered machine Lazer level system $118,270.00 • 500 model Tractor attachment $17,295.00 • Ice edger system $ 6,285.00 • Blade change system $18,975.00 Option 4 Total price: $160,825.00 5) Resurface Corp Option 5 package: • Olympia Millennium H electric lead acid powered machine Lazer level system $148,595.00 • 500 model Tractor attachment $17,295.00 • Ice edger system $ 6,285.00 • Blade change system $18,975.00 Option 5 Total price $191,150.00 Estimated cost to replace (2) two batteries in an electric Zamboni is: $40,000.00 per set. These are replaced frequently based on use. Zamboni Reference Costs Research: Watertown; Durham, NH; CA III. Summary Cost Comparison Table Option 1 Option 2 Materials Flooring $58,050.00 $58,050.00 (one-time) Subflooring $21,938.00 $21,938.00 (one-time) Lining $18,000 $18,000 (one-time) Subtotal $97,988 $97,988 (one-time) Installation Subflooring install $16,200.00 $16,200.00 (annual) Flooring install $40,500.00 $40,500.00 (annual) Subtotal $56,700.00 $56,700.00 (annual) Removal & Storage Flooring removal - $45,000.00 (annual) Subfloor removal and total Storage - $19,960.56 (annual) Subtotal - $64,960.56 (annual) Ice Creation & Removal of ice - $31,350 (annual) Subtotal $154,688* $97,988 (one-time) + $153,010.56 (annual) TOTAL $154,688* $250,998.56 (FY25/FY26) * DPW is requesting $160,000 to build in variability for cost increase in the bid. ** when operating the ice rink, utility costs are estimated at $20,000.00 a month. For 4.5 Months that would be $90,000.00

CITY OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS & PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR KATJANA BALLANTYNE 6 Appendix B Historical data on youth hockey usage by year MyRec data gathered when both rinks were overseen by Parks & Rec. FMC data: From their online calendar https://fmc.myhalix.io/pages/calendars.somervilleveterans Founders Rink- Parks & Rec Managed Year: Day: # of Weeks: Hours/ Week: Total Hours: Notes: 2018 Thursday 14 1 14 2019 Thursday 22 1 22 2020 Wed/Thurs 25 3.4 76 2021 Mon/Wed/Thurs 29 5.17 150 2022 Mon/Thurs 13 6 78 Veterans Rink- Parks & Rec Managed Year: Day: # of Weeks: Hours/ Week: Total Hours: Notes: 2018 Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat 19 8.36 158.83 2019 Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun 36 7.13 256.83 2020 Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fri/Sat 27 6.60 178.17 2021 Mon/Wed/Sat 15 4.33 65 2022 Mon/Wed/Sat 15 4.33 65 FMC Online Calendar does not show breakdown between Veterans & Founders. Year: Day: # of Weeks: Hours/ Week: Total Hours: Notes: 2021 Wed/Sat 9 4.48 40.33 2022 Mon/Tues/Wed/ Fri/Sat/Sun 35 5.17 181 *2023 Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/ Sat/Sun 37 8.07 427.83 *See FMC reported information. *2024 Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/ Sat/Sun 35 11.16 390.50 *See FMC reported information. **2025 Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri/ Sat/Sun 26 9.73 253 **Only through June. Note from FMC on April 3, 2025: To give you a bit of detail, in the 2023/24 season, the Founders opened with ice from 9/4/2023 through 3/31/2024 and Veterans season was 8/28/2023 through 4/7/2024 (was open with ice all year), Somerville Youth Hockey Association (SYHA) had 73 hours in Founders and 297 hours in Veterans. Total hours were 370 between the two rinks For Veterans this year (2024-2025) the season is 8/26/2024-4/6/20205, SYHA had 494 hours all in Veterans. This is 120 more total hours without Founders. The reason for this is we moved out some programs that weren’t based in Somerville to other locations or did not contract with them at all in order to provide the time needed for SYHA. We expect next season to be a similar ice allocation to this season but certainly SYHA would have at least the same number of hours that they utilize this year so long as they want to keep them.