A Rockingham County judge has upheld a local zoning board’s decision to allow the Strawbery Banke Museum to build an ice skating rink in Portsmouth.
The judge dismissed an appeal filed by sixteen of the museum’s neighbors, who argued the rink would create noise, light and traffic in their neighborhood.
Jeff Keefe is a volunteer who dreamed up the ice rink idea and is leading the project. He says he expects to clear the remaining hurdles:
So currently we’re in the site review process with the city of Portsmouth, so really just ironing out the details.
After raising $18,000 in legal fees, Keefe says museum trustees and community representatives will begin a $450,000 capital campaign to raise funds for the rink immediately. He hopes to have it open by December of this year.
