Ulin Rink Management Corp. Looks Back, Ahead to Future

After close to two weeks of negotiations between the Town of Milton and Curry College over a permit to manage the Max Ulin Memorial Rink, a deal appears to be met. In the time since the Board of Selectmen chose the college over a non-profit group formed by Milton residents with various business, facilities and hockey backgrounds, members of the Ulin Rink Management Corp. have been looking back at the eight-month process and ahead to the future of the rink.

Members of the URMC, namely President Tim Kernan and Clerk Kevin Keating have been involved since the Department of Recreation and Conservation posted an RFP for the rink in February.

Kernan, the founder and chief technology officer of SiteWatch Technologies, LLC, and a Town Meeting member, always believed the town should be in control of the facility, which was built on the taxpayers' dime.

With residents requesting the town get involved in the process, the Ulin Rink Study Committee was formed. In May, the committee released a recommendation.

With the Selectmen's recent decision, Kernan says two of the three recommendations have been met. Kernan said the committee recommended that the town gain control of the rink. That was accomplished. With control, the committee implied that town groups like Milton Youth Hockey, Milton High School and community skating be protected. That also occurred.

The only recommendation that fell to the weighside was that the town use a non-profit group to run the facility on behalf of the town.

"The fact that the town has the permit is a huge thing." Kernan said of the town's five year permit with the DCR. "I'm still reasonably happy the town has the permit."

Kernan, and other members of the group are still concerned about Curry, a user group at the rink, holding management responsibilities. The Curry College hockey program calls the rink home.

Kernan said issues could arise down the road with a stakeholder serving as the manager. "That management problem would disappear if  (the town) had a non-profit whose sole charter is to run the rink," Kernan said.

The Selectmen's 2-1 vote to go with Curry College was based primarily on finances. Chair Marion McEttrick and member John Shields cited the college's assets as a benefit, saying they could better protect the town from a loss.

The rink currently operates at an annual loss of $300,000 using what Kernan has long-called a "broken" business model.

Throughout the process, Kernan made it clear the DCR was mismanaging the facility. If any new group followed their business model, they would incur a loss. Fees have already been set by the DCR for this season, but the URMC had ideas to turn a profit by year two.

Among those ideas were utilization of weekday hours. Currently, there are no programs offered before 4 p.m. during the week. That unused time could become the home to figure skating, senior skating or other programs, according to Kernan.

Kernan explained the URMC had several donors lined up to make donations if the permit was awarded to the group. He said the inevitable first-year losses would also be made up with advertising inside the rink and creative programming.

At last Thursday's Selectmen meeting he also pointed out that the town's RFP with the DCR makes the state responsible for "maintenance and repair of certain large capital items including, the roof, the slab below the ice, the HVAC system, the refrigeration system and the zamboni."

Another misconception Kernan and his group have battled throughout the process has been their image. The term, "Hockey Dads" has occasionally been thrown around to describe the group.

It's quite the opposite contends Kernan who said only one member of the board of directors has children who play the game. Instead the corporation has a collectively impressive résumé.

There are members who are versed in sports and facilities.URMC Vice President Keith McDermott  works as the director of the Reggie Lewis Center and Roxbury Community College Intercollegiate Athletics. Board member Kevin O'Sullivan owns the Canton SportsPlex and Bavis Arena in Rockland. Phil Zona, another member, has been with Milton Youth Hockey for 30 years and has been involved in South Shore Conference and Division 3 Hockey for 12 years. The board also includes Tim Hoey, the vice president of Likarr Maintenance Systems.

Business experience is also plentiful among the URMC members. Clare Keating, is a CPA, Keving Keating manages GKR Residential, Kevin Sorgi was the Town Treasurer for three decades, Chris Keating became a financial advisor after retiring from the NFL and Roxanne Musto works as a nurse practitoner, while serving as a Town Meeting member,  Chairperson Board of Health and board member of the Milton Foundation for Education.

The exact role of the URMC in the rink is undefined for now. The group and the town are still hoping for a long term lease to operate the rink. A lease would open the possibility for the URMC to reapply. They could also stay involved in other ways. Kernan doubts that the young corportation will just fade away, however.

"I don't think we're going to go away," Kernan said. "We formed specifically to run the rink for the benefit of the town."