The town-owned field which gets flooded to create an outdoor ice rink sits behind the Rotary Club baseball diamond next to the Saranac Lake Civic Center on Ampersand Avenue. The redesign of this area was proposed by Saranac Lake Youth Baseball and Softball Association President Chris Knight, who pitched his idea to the board last week.

Knight’s proposal is centered on the grassy area behind the Rotary Field. This land is a flat area which the town floods with water from a hydrant each winter to create a 200-foot-by-200-foot outdoor skating rink.

Knight was a big supporter in the early days of this skating rink and his kids skated there for years. Now, he feels there’s a better way to use that space.

The outdoor ice rink hasn’t been working recently, he said. Volunteer numbers are down, winter temperatures are up and the water pressure at the hydrant used to flood the field has been down. Last year, because of the warmth, the rink never opened.

Saranac Lake Youth Baseball and Softball Association President Chris Knight, speaks to the Harrietstown Town Council about a proposal to turn a grass field next to the civic center — used each year to create an outdoor ice rink — into a sports complex. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

He still wants to have ice there, but a smaller rink. Knight said the field could be a larger year-round recreation park for a variety of sports.

Knight is pitching a sports complex for T-ball, wiffle ball, hockey and roller hockey.

Town Supervisor Jordanna Mallach said the council is interested in exploring the possibility. The town is game to allow a sports complex there. But first, they want to see the cost, a funding plan and to hear about potential community partners willing to make it a reality. They’ll have a better idea by the spring, she said.

This winter, the plan is to create the rink like normal.

“Although Mother Nature gets a vote in that as much as anyone,” Mallach said.

Right now, the rink prevents the field from being used for other purposes. Knight said with the renovated civic center rink, there are lots of skating opportunities in that neighborhood. He counted that the civic center held 62 public skating sessions last year.

The SLYBSA primarily uses two home fields — the Elks Field on John Munn Road near Ampersand Avenue, and the Rotary Field right next to the civic center.

In the summer, SLYBSA sets up a batting cage in the grassy area behind the Rotary Field and constructs a “Little Fenway” T-ball field for the youngest players, complete with a mini “Green Monster” outfield wall. The field is also used by the public for wiffle ball. But the grass there is in very poor shape.

Knight is seeking permission from the town to build a permanent T-ball field there with better grass, better dirt and a more stable outfield wall.

The association fields around 150-160 kids ages 4 to 12 each year, Knight said. SLYBSA volunteers maintain the Rotary field through a contract with the town. The school district also uses both the Elks and Rotary fields for softball in the spring.

With more room, Knight said SLYBSA would like to build a new warming hut, a new storage shed and permanent restrooms instead of using portable toilets.

Last year, SLYBSA raised $40,000 for new scoreboards, bleachers and batting cages. The batting cages were set up this summer. The Rotary Field scoreboard is expected to be finished in spring, and another to be installed at the Elks Field next year. Bleachers at both fields are expected to be built this summer.

The hockey box would be roughly 120-by-60 feet. A regulation NHL rink is 200-by-85 feet. Knight said it would be a more efficient use of water, easier to maintain and freezes faster than a flooded field.

But a hockey box would still have some of the same challenges. They will need volunteers and cold weather, as well as to fix the hydrant pressure.

Councilwoman Tracey Schrader said she likes the fact that it would also allow for rollerblading and roller hockey.

“Our climate’s changing, and we’re going to have more and more months of not enough cold weather,” she said.

Councilman Johnny Williams wondered if they could also fit basketball hoops or a racquetball wall there, too.

Knight said he does not have an estimated cost for this complex, nor a timeline for when it could be built. The idea is just taking form now, he said.

If the town signs off on the idea, it would likely be split into multiple projects. Knight said they would then seek grants, hold fundraisers and search for partners to support the project.

Mallach said the town budget can’t support the costs for the proposed improvements. It will need to have no tax impact. But she suggested partnering with civic organizations and the public. The town did this to build the lodge at Dewey Mountain Recreation Center, with people donating lumber, labor and money to construct the building.

Mallach said she spoke with the Saranac Lake Rotary Club, which she is a member of, and that they were interested in the project but want more details before partnering.