Town to warn Rez skaters while mulling winter uses

By Mike Berger

Town Administrator Charlie Aspinwall will be working with town departments to post at least four signs near Reservoir Pond to warn skaters that the ice may be thin and that they are “skating at their own risk.”

The signs are the first indication that selectmen are considering opening Reservoir Pond for winter use.

Still up for discussion at a future public hearing are whether to open the Pleasant Street gate to the Earl Newhouse Waterfront on a year-round basis from sunrise to sunset; whether to plow the Newhouse parking area in winter; and whether to allow or prohibit ski mobiles.

All of these considerations were proposed by Selectman Tom Theodore, who has taken an active stance on the possibility of opening Reservoir Pond year-round since the town now owns the waterway. “It’s obvious to me people want it,” he said of all-season use.

Theodore believes that the gate to the Newhouse Waterfront should be opened and plowed so that families can use the pond for skating. He would rather see the gate plowed than require people to cross Pleasant Street from the Williams Estate parking areas.

Aspinwall had previously met with officials from the Fire and Police departments, DPW, Parks & Recreation, and Conservation Committee and he relayed some of their safety, operational, and enforcement concerns to selectmen on Tuesday night.

Selectmen were mixed in their reaction to Theodore’s suggestion and offered to hold a public hearing to gather more input and come up with a more definitive plan for changing rules and regulations concerning possible winter uses. All agreed that the safety signs should be installed as soon as possible …

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