The ice at Gull Crest goes in again this December, uncovered as usual. You may have heard that the Cape Community Arena Group wants to turn the rink into a $5 million covered arena, and that construction "begins in spring." That's accurate as far as it goes, but it leaves out most of the plan. The plan spreads the build over four years. Each phase starts in March and wraps up by November, so the work happens in the off-season and the ice comes back every winter. The earliest a roof could go up is 2029. A fully enclosed building would come in 2030, and only if every phase is paid for before it starts.
So the arena is a long, money-gated project designed so you never lose the rink while it's being built. And that design explains most of what the town is still arguing about.
Which winters stay open-air
CCAG's building plan, drawn up with Waterhouse Design, says outright that "the rink you skate on today stays in service" through construction. Here's how the build schedule lines up with skating seasons:
| Construction window | What gets built | The winter that follows |
|---|---|---|
| None | No construction yet | 2026–27: open-air rink, Season 5 |
| March to November 2027 | Phase 1: parking lot rebuild, stormwater, foundations, a new Town storage building | 2027–28: still open-air |
| March to November 2028 | Phase 2: water, sewer, power, and an ice slab with embedded coolant lines | 2028–29: still open-air, most new work underground |
| March to November 2029 | Phase 3: steel frame, roof, solar array, bathrooms | 2029–30: roofed, sides still open |
| March to November 2030 | Phase 4: walls, insulation, finishes, final paving | 2030–31: first fully enclosed season |
The roof and solar array are scheduled for Phase 3. Even then, CCAG's concept rendering shows the rink under a roof with its sides open to the air. Walls arrive only in Phase 4. The group labels every rendering as not finalized. Phase 2 is the year you probably won't notice anything. The plan describes it as "the quietest year to look at," because nearly everything goes in below grade.
What Season 5 looks like
The current season runs December 9, 2026 through March 7, 2027. Open skate is free and open to anyone, and the schedule depends on the weather. The one requirement is a liability waiver, signed once per skater before anyone steps on the ice. There's no registration or fee for open skate.
The posted schedule has public sessions on weekday mornings and afternoons into the evening, plus family skate on weekends. On the sample opening day, public skate runs 8 to 10 a.m., noon to 4 p.m., and 6 to 7:30 p.m. Lessons, figure-skating freestyle, hockey leagues and rentals carry their own fees or registration.
The program list covers a wide range of ages:
- Youth learn-to-play and hockey for grades 1 through 8
- Cape Elizabeth High School boys' and girls' hockey
- Adult learn-to-play, plus women's and men's leagues
- Free pond hockey for skaters 60 and older
Food trucks are back too. On October 5, according to the town's meeting report, the Town Council voted 6–0 to approve CCAG's food truck special use permit for the 2026–27 season. The permit allows the maximum 20 dates, starting December 10, the day after the ice opens. In its October 21 to November 10 issue, The Cape Courier quoted coordinator Kaitlyn Weidenbach saying the trucks had been at the rink for "the last three or four years" and were popular.
Why build anything
Part of the answer is how much the rink is used. It started outside Town Hall in the winters of 2020–21 and 2021–22, moved to Gull Crest in January 2023, and has opened every winter since. CCAG's 2025–26 season impact report counts more than 670 ice hours that season. Over 400 of those were free public skate. The same season had 238 players across six hockey programs, more than 125 Super Skate participants, and 76 tournament teams bringing roughly 600 players to town.
The other part is cost. On its case for support page, the group says setting up and taking down the seasonal rink eats more than 40 percent of its operating costs. It also points to weather cancellations as a recurring problem. So the real choice is between a rink that has to be put up and taken down every year and one that stays put. The roof matters because it's what eventually ends the annual setup.
The money sets the pace
The four-year schedule is a target, and CCAG says no phase will begin until its funding is in hand. The group estimates the full project at $5 million to $7 million. Phase 1 is estimated at $1.4 million and counts as funded, but that funding comes through a construction loan. Phases 2 through 4 still need money.
CCAG publishes two capital figures, and they measure different things. The impact report says the group raised $460,000 in 2025–26, split evenly between operations and capital, and had $200,000 in its capital account at that point. The campaign page, which tracks the whole effort, showed $1,038,636 raised, or 14 percent of a $7 million goal. Either way, the later phases depend on fundraising that hasn't happened yet. Every phase that waits for money means another winter on the outdoor rink.
What the town is still deciding
Because the plan builds around a site people already use, most of the public review is about sharing that site.
The town's August 20 report says the Community Garden Group, which gardens at Gull Crest, raised operational and environmental concerns about the original footprint. Members then publicly supported revisions that moved the storage building, set aside a no-parking zone for garden deliveries, and routed stormwater and snowmelt away from the plots.
Parking and lighting came next. On September 15, the Planning Board voted unanimously to table the site plan amendment. CCAG had proposed parallel parking along Gull Crest Drive. Board members thought that would be unsafe on dark winter evenings, since the road has no streetlights or sidewalks. Town staff suggested making a sidewalk a condition of approval. The arena group's representatives said a sidewalk was beyond what their nonprofit could afford. The board asked for revised plans and suggested limiting the immediate approval to Phase 1. WMTW covered the same meeting on September 17. The board was scheduled to take the application back up on October 20.
The Town Council has its own role, separate from the Planning Board, because the town owns the land. At a September 9 workshop, councilors discussed the main lease terms:
- Length. A 30- to 50-year term to match CCAG's financing. The lease would cover the building plus a ten-foot buffer, and the town would keep control of the larger parking lot.
- Electricity. The town has paid the temporary rink's power bill in recent years. Councilors debated separate meters versus continuing to cover the cost.
- Subleasing. No automatic subleasing or reassignment. The lease would be renegotiated if CCAG dissolves or wants to bring in an outside operator.
- Off-season use. Indoor soccer, lacrosse and summer festivals would stay broadly allowed. Pickleball may be excluded to satisfy the Community Garden Club.
- Public covenants. Possible guaranteed public skate times, discounted rates for town and school events, and shared locker rooms for spring and summer sports.
That last item matters most for anyone who skates. Open skate is free today because sponsorship money keeps it free, by CCAG's own account. A covenant in a 30- to 50-year lease could make guaranteed public skate time a condition of using town land. Councilors also said they want gardeners and field users to keep their access, especially during the first construction season.
For now, the rink opens December 9, the food trucks arrive December 10, and you won't hear any construction at Gull Crest until March 2027 at the earliest.
We follow Gull Crest's permits and lease talks the same way we follow every Cape Elizabeth property we represent, down to the phase dates. If you've been wondering what your home is worth in a town that keeps investing in its own winters, the team at Linda MacDonald would be glad to help. Request a complimentary home valuation.
