Special Town Meeting to Decide if Town Should Buy Ristuccia Arena

Wilmington Selectmen Tuesday night unanimously called for a Special Town Meeting to appropriate funds for the town to purchase Ristuccia Arena.

The agenda item for Tuesday’s meeting had selectmen discussing the decision to call a Special Town Meeting to purchase the rink now that the Boston Bruins will be leaving the arena that has been their practice facility for nearly 30 years to move closer to Boston. That announcement came over the summer.

Selectmen may be looking for the funds in December, but according to the Lowell Sun, they won’t be making an offer on the rink and its property until next June. According to the Sun, no dollar amount was disclosed, but selectmen said the figure will be made public before the Dec. 4 Special Town Meeting.

More than 600 readers voted in a poll Wilmington Patch posted on Sunday, asking if they think the town should purchase Ristuccia. Of those who voted, 397 said yes and 219 said no, while 22 said they didn’t care.