Westfield Ice Rink Raises Neighborhood Concerns, Council Eyes Permanent Site

WESTFIELD, NJ — It's been eight years since Westfield erected a temporary ice rink at Gumbert Park, raising questions about its future.

On Tuesday, a discussion arose at the Council meeting centered on neighborhood impacts, safety concerns, and the search for a permanent location.

At the meeting, the Town Council authorized Mayor Jeremy Berman to execute a lease agreement with Arena Realty Partners for a temporary ice rink at Gumbert Park.

Berman said the resolution covers "a new one-year agreement for the temporary ice rink at Gumper Park with the option to renew for two additional years."

He also said the town is "actively pursuing a permanent solution for the Westfield Rink and is in discussions with our current partner."

While the idea of moving the rink to Tamaques Park was raised in the past, Berman said, "There are a number of related challenges supported by the feedback we saw in the Tamaques Park community report that will make this location unlikely."

During public comment, Andrew Stillufsen of South Chestnut Street said neighbors near Gumbert Park continue to face the same problems they raised years ago.

He cited "Cars, traffic, trash, noise, the park being used until 9 or 10 o'clock at night," and said the effects on nearby residents have worsened.

Stilliffson also pointed to the February roof collapse and said there has been "no public airing of what happened, why did it happened, root cause analysis, what type of measures are going to be taken going forward to mitigate those instances."

Ward 2 Councilman Mike Armento said he was "certainly torn a little bit" over approving the lease agreement resolution because residents had previously been told the rink would be temporary.

The rink was erected in November 2018.

He said he would support the agreement this year, but added, "If next year we're in the same situation, nothing has occurred, I will vote no." Armento said he believes the rink is valuable to many residents and said the town needs to do due diligence on permanent options.

Addressing the collapse, Armento said he contacted Business Administrator Jim Gildea and was also in contact with Ken Anderson from Arena.

Armento said the rink is evaluated for safety every day, and "they noticed that it was sagging and that's when they opted to cancel all activities that day."

He also said Anderson indicated that engineers are reviewing the structure and that "in our new agreement, we're seeking greater security precautions and safety precautions for the ring."

Councilman Todd Saunders noted, "I do believe we are all looking for a more permanent solution that isn't right in the middle of a neighborhood."

Councilwoman Jenn Gilman said she wants to work with the neighborhood on mitigation and called the rink "an extreme benefit to the town, to the public as a whole, as well as particularly to the girls' ice hockey programs in town."

All members ultimately voted yes to approve the resolution.

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