Ice Rink On The Horizon For Central Regional School District

by Patricia A. Miller

Central Regional Board of Education members unanimously approved two professional firms last night to begin the process of building an ice rink on the Bayville campus.

The district has three private investors interested in the project, which would cost between $8 million to $10 million to construct, Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides has said.

The private investor eventually chosen for the job would pay for the entire project.

"We can basically be the landlords," he said in a recent interview. "The risk is on the investor. We get free ice time for our students. We collect rent every month."

"There's no risk to the Board of Education," Business Administrator Kevin O'Shea said after the meeting. "We obviously don't have that kind of money. We've done our homework on the rink. We feel confident bringing these folks on."

The board approved the Toms River firm of Gilmore and Monahan as special legal services for the proposed rink. Board members also approved the Kensington, New Hampshire-based MacLaughlin Management and Design as design consultants.

"They're going to help us with a basic design," O'Shea said. "They (Gilmore and Monahan will help us review the bids."

Gilmore and Monahan submitted the lowest bid for the services. The firm - owned by Ocean County Republican Chairman George R. Gilmore - has a number of staff members well versed in land use law, O'Shea said.

"They have some experience with the Toms River school district in doing projects outside of the box," he said.

Neither firm has a contract with the district yet, O'Shea said. "We're going to invite them to a future board meeting and discuss putting a bid package together."

A number of districts in southern Ocean County have already expressed interest in using the rink, if the price is right, he said.

There are no ice rinks available for school districts south of Toms River, all the way down to Atlantic City, O'Shea said.