To The Editor:
A few weeks ago, Don Swain resigned from the board of the Skatium, an organization he helped to create 33 years ago. Back in 1992, Don and a few other local skating enthusiasts decided that Valley children should have the opportunity to play hockey on their own regulation-sized rink. Within nine months, the Skatium was born. Over time, the facility expanded to include boards and Plexiglass, refrigeration, Zambonis, lighting, an office and four team dressing rooms. This allowed the Skatium to develop many programs for skaters of all ages and abilities; at its zenith, the rink was hosting youth figure skating, house and travel youth hockey, men’s and women’s adult hockey, school recreation period programs, and a broomball league.
Although the passage of time and the elements took a toll on the infrastructure, Don’s devotion to the rink never wavered. He welcomed an expanded board and engaged new skating enthusiasts who shared his vision. With this new energy, the board raised enough funds to revitalize the facility for seasons to come. Only a week or so before his resignation, Don brought his excavator down to the site and cleared a culvert clogged by a family of beavers, causing the adjacent pond to overflow and flood the road leading to the rink.
Countless hours of Don’s time went into creating and maintaining the rink over the past 33 years, and countless numbers of Valley residents and visitors benefited from the existence of a place to congregate and skate over that time span. The Skatium board would like to thank Don for his vision, perseverance, and many years of dedication. The board has elected Jeff Brauer to be its new president, and it will move forward with gratitude for Don’s legacy.
Alexandra Harvey for the Skatium board of directors
