Grand Island advisory board presses for clarity on town commons ice rink, creek piping and power connection

Advisory members of the Grand Island Parks & Recreation advisory board pressed town officials Monday for a clear timeline to pipe a creek—often called a ditch—and to secure electrical service needed for a proposed ice rink at the town commons.

The group discussed a long-running plan first drafted in 1997 and urged the town board to authorize engineering and permitting work. “We are not going anywhere yet,” an advisory member said, describing the board’s current lack of authorization for permitting and construction. Town liaison Tom said the next practical step is to wait for National Grid to complete an open service ticket and provide a cost estimate: “As soon as we get response from National Grid, I will be too,” Tom said.

Board members framed the work as two linked tasks: piping the ditch so it no longer fills with cattails or traps garbage, and establishing electrical service for an ice rink and possibly future amenities such as a band shell and heated restrooms. Participants noted prior studies and letters from state agencies are several years old and that updated information is required before engineering files permits. Sam, a staff member, told the group that engineering needs finalized measurements and a defined scope to prepare permit applications and cost estimates.

Members and staff discussed the hydraulic and permitting implications of piping the channel. One advisory member argued the invert (the pipe elevation) issue was misunderstood and that if the pipe ties into the existing culvert the system would drain to the culvert as designed. Others cautioned that state agency review remains necessary: the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers previously issued letters addressing jurisdiction and that those formal determinations are several years old.

On electric service, staff said National Grid has opened a ticket to assess a new service and would identify where a line could be drawn from. Staff and advisory members reported prior experience in town projects where National Grid took roughly two months to respond after an on-site visit; they warned any timeline should account for that delay. The board also discussed estimating electrical load: speakers said rink equipment typically requires several hundred amps of service and that any plan should account for future needs so the town does not under-provision the line.

Advisory members sought clearer direction from the town board about how far to pipe the ditch now versus in later phases. Tom said engineering will not start permitting until the town board directs them to proceed and identifies funding or budget placement. The board agreed to put the ditch/piping topic on the advisory board’s next agenda to prepare a concise set of options and “three stake” site points for National Grid and engineering to evaluate.

The conversation also noted ancillary approvals that may be needed, including DEC review and potential Army Corps involvement if work exceeds certain thresholds. Speakers said prior DEC letters suggested the channel was non-jurisdictional, but those letters are four to five years old and will need confirmation. Tom summarized the immediate next steps as: (1) get the National Grid site visit and cost estimate; (2) finalize measurements and a schematic so engineering can prepare permit filings; and (3) have the town board authorize permitting and budget placement.

The advisory board did not take any formal votes. Members said they would provide a concise set of preferred locations for the rink and piping at a future meeting so National Grid and engineering can produce cost and feasibility figures.