Seacoast United officials said Thursday that, pending completion of a few last-minute tasks, the Roller World roller skating rink could open its doors to the public again as soon as 7 p.m. today. If those finishing touches aren’t in place in time to open today, the roller rink will open from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Paul Willis, president of Seacoast United, confirmed Thursday.
“We are opening this weekend, and our intention is to keep Roller World open,” Willis told The Times Record.
Seacoast United has been working with a group of people who will operate the rink and help them try to make a go of it.
“I’m delighted that it looks like we’re going to be able to do it,” Willis said.
Jim Wade is director of the Seacoast United Maine Indoor Arena, which earlier this month completed its purchase of the indoor soccer sports dome it had leased from Howard Sports and Roller World. Wade described it as the oldest and largest roller rink in the state.
Wade said the organization hopes to make the dome a year-round, multisport facility.
Since finalizing the purchase and deciding to reopen Roller World, the group has worked to clean and repair the indoor roller skating rink. Wade said work is ongoing to prepare the snack bar and finish the cleaning, painting and installation of additional sound system equipment in time to open this weekend.
A grand opening celebration is tentatively planned for Jan. 27. More specific details are still in the works.
“There is a group of very hard working, dedicated people who really wanted to see Roller World reopen,” Wade said Thursday.
After months of uncertainty about its future, Roller World closed Dec. 18, 2011.
Brunswick teen Rose Edwards, a loyal Roller World patron, launched a Facebook page titled “Save Roller World in Topsham” to show the buyers of Howard Sports Roller World “ how important the rink is to the community.”
The page had garnered 508 “likes” as of Thursday and reported Thursday that a crew of Roller World supporters planned to meet Thursday night to paint for a couple hours.
In a first-person account of what Roller World means to her, published by The Times Record on Dec. 26, 2011, Edwards wrote that during her two years as a regular Roller World patron, “I have never had a bad experience here. I can’t think of one bad thing that has happened to me here. There aren’t many places I can say that about. It is like a second home, minus any negativity.”
Following Seacoast United’s purchase of the Howard Sports property, “we’ve decided that Seacoast United wants to see Roller World have a chance to come back, because there seems to be a real groundswell of local support for it,” Wade said. “What I’m learning is that Roller World is a sacred place for families, and kids of all ages, so we’re thrilled to support it and see it reopening.”
dmoore@timesrecord.com
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