New Rink/Court Officially Opens at Fletcher

Above, Blades highlights a group photo with town and recreation officials.

Years in the making, a new “street hockey” rink, combined with basketball hoops to provide for multiple uses, opened officially Monday night in informal ceremonies highlighted by the presence of `Blades,' the Bruins Mascot.

The presence of Blades was in part a reflection of the $75,000 contribution toward the project made by the Boston Bruins Foundation. The balance, some $200,000, was funded by the town. In recognition of the Bruins, the Town planned to present a plaque acknowledging the donation.

Before a ceremonial puck drop by Blades, town officials posed with the (likely) sweltering mascot. Through a donor, free food, was available to families, children and others.

Recreation Director Ryan Jette spoke about the origins and history of the project, which he said started back in 2019, with some brainstorming and planning done by our Rec Department and the Department of Public Works Engineering division, particularly mike Maglio and Jay Mello. He said they also looked at similar facilities in Boston, Weymouth and Marshfield, taking some of the features of each for Franklin.

The design that resulted envisioned converting the old basketball courts here into the combination unveiled formally on Monday, namely 130 x 100-foot, dual purpose basketball and street hockey play space. “We even have some rollerblades here on the weekend,” Jette noted.

The commitment to move forward came in Feb. of 2020 and the DPW demolished the old courts over that summer, he said.

Jette said interest in street hockey has been on the rise again and hundreds of kids have signed up for programs this year through the Rec Department.