Couple Provides Insight into Their Cranford Ice Rink Proposal

CRANFORD, NJ – On August 13, the Township Committee discussed a proposal for a temporary ice rink from a long-time Cranford couple, Mike and Megan Furstoss.

The idea for a local rink sprang from the Furstoss’s experience with their son, who began playing ice hockey when he was in kindergarten. “Over the past 6 years, we have traveled to a lot of different locations for practices and games,” Megan Furstoss told TAPinto Cranford. “We have witnessed what a positive impact a home rink has on the local community, as well as the resident teams and organizations.”

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“We saw that the Westfield rink worked,” continued Furstoss, who was born and raised in Cranford. “They found a way to collaborate with the town and support a growing sport on both the club and town levels, as well as provide access to open ice, skating lessons, adult recreational hockey, and other programs to the non-hockey residents.” So she and Mike brought the idea to the town.

"The township committee is currently listening to a resident-sponsored proposal involving a tented 200’ x 80’ ice rink, much like the rink at Gumpert Park in Westfield,” committee member Gina Black told TAPinto Cranford. “The initial proposal includes, among other details, placement in the northwest corner of the Orange Ave Pool parking lot.” But this could change. “We are happy to listen to suggestions and explore other locations in Cranford,” said Megan.

“One of the first asks, recognizing the potential impact on those that live in the neighborhood, was for the project to gather feedback from residents on Hazel St and Windsor Pl,” said Black. “This has generated much-welcomed feedback to fuel further discussion.”

“Any suitable project must identify a location that addresses the concerns raised regarding noise, traffic, and flooding,” continued Black. “Once (and only if) this hurdle is met, will we then be able to tackle questions around the economic pros and cons.”

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How this proposal might work financially is also in flux. “One of the suggestions about how this arrangement could potentially work was us having access to the Orange Ave Pool parking lot for 5 months out of the year in exchange for our group covering the entire cost of the needed electrical upgrade at the pool,” said Furstoss. “This upgrade, we were told, is needed whether we operate out of this location or not. [The upgrade fee could] be thought of as paying rent upfront.”

As the Furstosses would make a significant financial investment in the town with the electrical upgrade and the rink, a ten-year lease was proposed. “We suggested doing a temporary rink with a longer commitment from the town because it allows us to secure what we are doing while also being able to manage the sea of unintended consequences that come with change,” said Furstoss. “It allows us to then be able to react to these consequences and secure a new location if this current one is found to be intolerable.”

“We would like to make clear that we have requested zero tax dollars for this project,” said Furstoss, which is how other towns often fund these types of projects. “East Brunswick just declared they are spending over $30 million on bringing a rink to their town.”

While an ice rink in Cranford is an exciting prospect for ice hockey families as well as anyone who might want to strap on skates, there is a lot still to be decided. “It is the township's goal to have a project that is both welcomed by the community and that makes financial sense for Cranford," said Black.

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