Finance committee recommends $160,000 for Founders Court flooring; fuller ice option estimated far costlier

The Finance Committee voted to recommend appropriating $160,000 from the city’s unreserved fund balance (free cash) to the Department of Public Works for fabrication and installation of sport court flooring at Founders Rink.

DPW Commissioner Jill Lathan told the committee the $160,000 request covers purchase and installation of a protective subfloor and multi‑use sports surfacing that would allow activities such as pickleball and basketball during warmer months. The memo and presentation provided two paths: (1) install permanent year‑round sport flooring (the option in the current request) or (2) install removable flooring and run ice in the winter months. Commissioner Lathan and her memo said the simple flooring option totals about $154,688 and the city requested $160,000 to provide a bidding contingency; the removable/ice option carries substantially higher one‑time and recurring costs, with the presentation showing a lifecycle total in the neighborhood of $250,998.56 when ice build/removal, storage and annual reinstallation are included.

Lathan emphasized technical constraints for seasonal ice at Founders, including building thermal conditions (garage‑style doors and humidity), refrigeration and utilities: staff estimated an incremental utility cost of roughly $90,000 to support ice refrigeration during the season. She said vendors with rink experience, including FMC (the prior rink operator), advised that converting the facility seasonally would require about two weeks to build ice and about two weeks to remove it, and would need weatherized storage for the flooring panels. Lathan noted the city lacks on‑site storage and would likely need a winterized container and contractor services for removal/installation and storage.

Councilors asked about prior operations, Zamboni ownership and revenue potential from an operator. The committee was told the DCR Zamboni used for Veterans Rink is not a city asset for Founders; if a vendor such as FMC were to operate ice programming the vendor would manage Zamboni needs and could be responsible for some utility costs under a management agreement. Committee members and staff discussed that FMC had recently concentrated ice time on Somerville youth programs and estimated Somerville youth received roughly 494 hours of ice time in the most recent season, up from prior years.

On balance the committee approved the $160,000 appropriation to install the sports flooring now; commissioners and councilors said the removable‑ice option merits further policy and budget discussion because converting to seasonal ice raises substantial additional operational costs that were not included in the free cash request. The roll call on this item recorded four votes to approve and one absence.

Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the meeting transcript.