By Kerri Williams

WESTPORT – The Westport Weston Family YMCA is planning a year-round ice rink facility to be built on the site of the former Red Barn restaurant on Wilton Road, adjacent to the YMCA.

Uses for the rink, which would be the second in the state to be associated with a YMCA, include public skating, learn-to-skate programs, figure skating, youth and high school hockey, adult leagues and specialty summer camps.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this project,” said Glen Hale, CEO of the Westport Weston Family YMCA, in a press release. Hale joined the YMCA in 2025, bringing more than 25 years of experience in non-profit organizations. “The facility will serve the entire town, from a child stepping on the ice for the first time to families enjoying a Friday night skate, to our high school teams finally having a home rink.”

The YMCA purchased the property in 2015 after the Red Barn restaurant closed its doors. As the property was adjacent to the main campus of the YMCA, the thinking at the time was that it would allow for future expansion.

Through surveys that were conducted in recent years, the YMCA became aware of the need and support for a community ice rink. 

The one other ice rink in the state associated with a YMCA is in Colebrook at Camp Jewell YMCA. That outdoor seasonal rink is used for camp programs, group retreats and recreational skating.

The initiative in Westport has a strong community backing, Hale said.

“Westport is an amazing place that offers so much, but the one thing that’s always been missing since I grew up here has been a year-round ice rink for everyone to enjoy,” said Russell Sherman, one of the community members serving on the project steering committee. “The Red Barn Restaurant was a place where Westport came together for decades. Now it will be again, and we are excited to create amazing memories on the same site for generations to come.

RTM District 3 member Jimmy Izzo says the rink “fills a much needed void.” Izzo continued, “It’s a wonderful community addition. I’m proud of the Family Y for bringing this forward – it’s a win for everyone.”

Fellow D3 Member Adam Drake is also enthusiastic–he says “It’s a fantastic idea–I’m thrilled.” But he leavens his enthusiasm with some concerns, particularly, “Traffic. Wilton Road is a nightmare during rush hour, and … this could make it worse.” He thinks direct access to the rink’s parking lot off Merritt’s exit 20 northbound could alleviate some of the congestion.

The NHL-regulation-size rink will honor the Red Barn restaurant with architectural elements and memorabilia and will include the iconic restaurant sign. Other planned features include spectator seating, locker rooms and a lobby. The YMCA also has a website associated with the rink where the public can access updates and renderings.

Funding for the project will come through a partnership between the Y and community support. The YMCA will launch a capital campaign and plans to use Westport’s Cumming Group as the project management firm for the development. The rink is projected to be self-sustaining financially once it is operational. A preliminary estimate for the completion date is 2029.

The property for the new rink lies in the sewer avoidance area, which means the YMCA will need to handle wastewater for it onsite as they have done successfully with their main facility, pointed out Matthew Mandell, executive director of the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce. The property is outside the “Blue Line,” which exists to ensure there is enough flow space at the town’s sewer plant and to prevent over-development.

Hale said that the wastewater issue has been accounted for in the planning process, and any wastewater generated by the rink will be addressed on site through septic and other mitigation measures. This is consistent with the prior Red Barn restaurant use of the property, he said, as it also relied on septic.

The rink would be a boon to young hockey players who live in Westport. Currently, however, there are not enough hockey players at Staples to field either a girls or boys varsity hockey team.

The girls team–The Black Knights–is a co-op with students from Stamford and Westhill High Schools. The boys’ team–Stormac–features athletes from Staples, Norwalk and Brien McMahon High Schools.

Several Division I FCIAC programs have a home rink and youth hockey, according to VJ Sarullo, athletic director for the high school. “We are incredibly excited with the news of the YMCA plans,” he said. 

The high school team currently practices and plays in Milford, at the Milford Ice Arena, where they have been “incredibly generous with us” Sarullo said, but he added that having a town rink would be a “huge advantage.”

Many of those affiliated with the Y are enthusiastic about the plans. “My family has had the privilege of being involved in the Y since its inception in 1923,” said John McKinney, a former hockey dad, chairman of the Y’s Board of Trustees and a fifth- generation member of the Bedford family that founded the Y. “I know they would be as excited as I am that we are building something that fits so well with our mission and will have such a positive impact on the community.”

The new rink will also have a concrete floor that can be utilized when the ice is not being used. The YMCA hopes that the new arena will have a positive and complementary impact on the outdoor rink at Longshore, which is open three months of the year.

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing “Cultivating with Kerri.” She recently published her first children’s book – “Mabel’s Big Move,” based on her daughter with special needs.}}