Not my game, sorry:
"Privatized skating rinks freezing out the public; In Milton, skaters take a back seat to the needs of Curry College" by Jasper Craven, Globe Correspondent March 07, 2015
MILTON — Today, skate rentals are no longer available, the skate-sharpening machine is gone, and the snack bar is usually closed. There’s still free public skating, but the hours are unpredictable and often inconvenient — just 22 hours during the last December vacation.
Across the region, privately managed state-owned skating rinks such as Ulin Rink offer significantly less public ice time than their state-run counterparts — whether for free or a for a fee.
The changes are the downside of privatization at the DCR, a cash-strapped state agency that, for more than two decades, has been turning over management of skating rinks and other recreational facilities to private companies, local governments, and nonprofits. New managers often bring private investment to maintain the facilities but sometimes at a hidden cost to the public.
Economy is supposed to be great but government is always broke unless making debt interest payments, handing out corporate welfare, or when lavish political lifestyles need funding.
“It stinks when they take away hours because [then] there is nothing for the kids to do,” said Sarah Lacombe, a Milton resident who skated at the rink as a child and now brings her two children.
DCR officials say they don’t have nearly the resources to make sure private managers of their skating rinks, yacht clubs, boathouses, concession stands, and other facilities follow state rules. The DCR has issued roughly 1,200 permits and leases for private uses of its lands, but only five employees oversee compliance with these contracts.
“Each of these leases has scores and scores of terms and conditions associated with them that the operators are required to address and adhere to,” said Jack Murray, DCR commissioner. “But I will admit that we don’t have the opportunity to ensure that every single one of these contracts are being adhered to.”
That is the government you are paying for, citizen.
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I kept falling down so I decided to stop skating for the rest of the day. Sorry.
