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Parents, coaches urge Taos council to prioritize ice-rink repairs and hire project manager
Summary
Scores of Taos parents, coaches and youth told the council the Youth & Family Center rink fire has derailed seasons and asked the town to fund a project manager and short-term ice solutions so local teams can play in 2025.
Hundreds of hours of travel, late-night practices and fractured youth teams were on display during Citizens Forum at the Taos Town Council meeting on Nov. 26 as parents, coaches and players called on the town to restore the Youth & Family Center ice rink.
Margo Hurtado, a member of the Taos Youth Hockey board, told the council the loss of the rink has been “devastating for our local families” and asked the town to fund and hire a project manager to coordinate repairs and operations. “We need a rink, and we need it in 2025,” she said.
Several speakers described multi-hour drives to practices, missed sleep and safety concerns. Coach Mark Richard said Taos has had only roughly half the normal hockey seasons in recent years and urged the council to listen to the association’s needs. Teen players described long evenings and academic strain; one eighth-grader said he often doesn’t get home until midnight after practices.
Speakers offered short- and medium-term technical options. Coach Jesse Cook presented a product called an “ICEMAT” (from a vendor, CalMac) that he said could be rolled out over an existing slab and be operational within weeks; Cook said the mat could last up to 20 years if maintained. Several parents and volunteers asked the town for transparent timelines, a formal user agreement and a seat at planning tables.
Town staff and council members acknowledged the emotional and economic value of the rink for families and regional tournaments. Multiple councilors suggested exploring project-management support sooner than a future bonding cycle and examining whether bond language could include rink-related items. Councilors also encouraged staff to consider interim solutions while pursuing longer-term facility upgrades.
The public comments concluded without a formal council motion or vote on the rink at the Nov. 26 meeting; the council directed staff to continue coordinating with residents and to report back on next steps and funding options.
