Town: Peconic Roller Hockey Rink is 'Bubbling'

If your kids are complaining of rough skating at the roller hockey rink at , it’s because the surface is bubbling, says Jim McMahon, Southold Town’s director of public works.

McMahon and Southold Town Engineer James Richter approached the Town Board on Tuesday morning’s work session about ongoing issues with the material used to coat the rink’s surface, which has been resurfaced about every five years, the last time being about three years ago. But egg-sized bubbles have been appearing lately and it’s not clear why, Richter said.

“The contractor did the right job — the issue is probably with the material,” he said

That material is called “street ice” and it’s a smoother material than that used on local tennis and basketball courts — and those materials have not had this same problem, Richter said.

A motion to approve parks and recreation department funds of $16,500 to cover the latest resurfacing is on Tuesday night’s agenda, but Councilman Chris Talbot questioned whether this job was worth that kind of money.

“It’s not going to get better, it’s only getting worse,” he said, adding that redoing the surface all together might be a better investment.

Richter said that he believes the problem has to do with thermal expansion between the surface material and the asphalt underneath. But the current bubbling is not currently affecting the use or safety of the facility, McMahon added.