Founders of Cape Arena
Together, we can make Cape Arena permanent.
Goal: $5 to $7 million
in 2025-26
public skate
programs
volunteers
open skate
A rink built by its community
Cape Community Arena Group (CCAG) is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates a seasonal, open-air ice rink, the Cape Community Arena (CCA), in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
CCA began operations in the winters of 2021 and 2022 as a temporary, community-scale, back-yard style unchilled rink behind Town Hall, hosting open skate and informal pick-up hockey, all free of charge. Those first two seasons acted as a proof of concept, and the feedback from the community was overwhelmingly positive.
Working toward the goal of a permanent arena, CCAG engaged engineers, designers, and town officials to select a permanent site at Gull Crest, town-owned land containing sports fields and trails.
Four seasons at Gull Crest
The inaugural season at Gull Crest in 2023 provided more than 430 hours of ice time, with over 150 Cape Elizabeth youth participating in skating and hockey programs.
The 2025-26 season ran 670+ hours of ice, of which 400 hours were free public skate, a 20% increase over the year before. More than 125 skaters came through Super Skate, 238 players filled six hockey programs, and six tournaments drew 76 teams and roughly 600 players. Open and family skate remained free of charge.
More than 200 volunteers, ranging in age from 7 to over 70, contribute an estimated 10,000 hours a year. They build the rink out each fall, run the Zamboni, maintain the ice, coach, and take it all down each spring.
A four-season gathering place
We envision the CCA as a four-season, multi-purpose covered arena that provides safe, healthy, family-oriented skating in the winter and hosts year-round, multigenerational activity in spring, summer, and fall.
It will be a community gathering place for recreation, socialization, and cultural activities. The arena will be built on Town land leased from the Town of Cape Elizabeth and will be owned and operated by Cape Community Arena Group, the same 501(c)(3) non-profit that runs the rink today.
At the whim of the weather
While the rink and its programs have improved every year, one thing has remained constant: the rink depends entirely on the weather and on the availability of our volunteer network.
Every season the rink loses days to rain, thaw, and snow, and every one of those days is made up by volunteers working the ice in bad weather. A roof means we no longer operate at the whim of the weather, and it extends the skating season by an estimated one to two months, the equivalent of 300+ additional hours of family skate and programming.
There is a second cost a roof solves. Because Gull Crest is a temporary site that must be fully restored each year, setting the rink up and taking it down consumes more than 40% of our entire operating budget. That is money spent every single year on work a permanent structure would make unnecessary.
Our 200+ volunteers have been the heart and soul of CCA since its inception. But the work it takes to keep the rink operational is not sustainable without a roof to protect the ice from the elements. If we want this community amenity available for years to come, we need to fund critical capital improvements now.
Beyond the absence of a roof, the lack of permanent changing rooms and viewing areas prevents the rink from being an attractive site for revenue-generating tournaments, leagues, and school practices and games. These amenities will let the arena be used year-round for summer camps, fitness classes, pre-season training, events, and more. A covered arena in town will also give local hockey teams access to affordable, local ice at a reasonable time of day.
A capital campaign, already underway
The permitting groundwork is done and construction is mapped out in four phases beginning March 2027. The full project is estimated at $5 to $7 million. Here is what each phase builds.
We are not starting from zero. The Town Council has approved our proposal to proceed to the Planning Board, and CCAG has invested more than $62,000 advancing our CE Amended Site Plan Application and our DEP Site Location Application, so the project meets every town and state requirement. To navigate that work we retained John Mitchell & Associates, who are working alongside board member Mike Backman as he donates the arena's design through his firm, Waterhouse Design.
Purchase a chiller
Bought in the 2025 off-season, replacing a rental that cost $74,000 a year. Next season the same line costs $37,500. It cut our operating budget by 15% and our electricity use by 30%, and it improved the ice. Your gifts made this one happen.
Site work and foundations
Erosion control and grading, a rebuilt parking lot, stormwater management with three biofilter beds, the footings and frost wall the building stands on, and a new storage building for the Town. Work the whole of Gull Crest benefits from.
Utilities and a permanent slab
Water, sewer, electric, and cable brought to the site, and the concrete ice slab with embedded coolant lines. A permanent floor makes the ice easier to maintain and lets other flooring go down for year-round activity.
A roof and a solar array
The steel frame, the roof, and solar to power the building, plus bathrooms and conditioned space for utilities and the Zamboni. Maintains the open-air feel while ensuring reliable skating time and extending the season.
Enclosure and amenities
Walls, insulation, and interior finishes. Changing rooms, a viewing room, and concessions, needed for fee-generating rentals, and available to the community at Gull Crest year-round.
Four phases, four years
The build is deliberately sequenced so Gull Crest stays open and usable throughout. Each phase runs March to November, outside the skating season. See the full building plan for everything in each phase.
| Phase | What gets built | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 Mar to Nov 2027 |
Site work and infrastructure. Moving the Gull Crest parking lot closer to the ball fields, relocating the town storage building and building its permanent replacement, site grading and erosion control, stormwater management including three new biofilter beds, and structural concrete including footings and a frost wall. | $1,400,000 |
| Phase 2 Mar to Nov 2028 |
Site utilities: water, sewer, electric, telephone, and cable, plus the main concrete ice slab with embedded coolant lines. Nearly all of it below grade. | To be finalized |
| Phase 3 Mar to Nov 2029 |
The structure goes up, still open sided. Steel frame, roofing, and the solar array. Conditioned space for utilities, the Zamboni, and public bathrooms. Retaining wall, exterior lighting, signage, drip edges, and landscaping. | To be finalized |
| Phase 4 Mar to Nov 2030 |
The arena is enclosed. Framing, cladding, insulation, building services, and interior finishes, plus final site work including finished pavement. | To be finalized |
| Estimated total | $5M to $7M | |
We are asking the community to fund this because the organization behind it is on solid ground. The 2025-26 season closed with $230,000 in operating income against $191,000 in operating expenses. The Town of Cape Elizabeth contributes up to $35,000 a season toward electricity, and thanks to the new chiller that bill came in at $23,500. Every dollar given to the build is going into a rink that already runs in the black.
Phase 1 is funded, but it currently relies on a construction loan. Every dollar raised now directly reduces the debt the rink takes on, and the funding gap for Phases 2 through 4 still needs to be bridged. No construction phase will begin without its funding in hand.
We are also building as good neighbors at Gull Crest. The updated site plans protect the Gull Crest Community Gardens with thoughtfully managed stormwater, restrict parking lot salt use, and carefully relocate the town storage shed, and the phases are sequenced so Gull Crest stays open and usable throughout construction.
The future of the arena is uncertain
The amount of volunteer work it takes to keep the rink operational isn't sustainable. A roof and other improvements will ensure this community amenity can continue to serve our community now and into the future.
The contributions to the population the rink serves go well beyond ice time. CCA exists as a community gathering place and a safe recreational activity for people of all ages. With no teen center or free outdoor drop-in program for youth and teens in Cape Elizabeth or nearby, CCA gives young people a safe place for social interaction, connection to others, and physical activity that supports their health and well-being.
The rink benefits more than kids and teens. The US Surgeon General has raised an alarm about the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. The CCA brings people of all ages together and creates opportunity for social interaction and recreation. It has even become a gathering spot for non-skaters, who volunteer as rink supervisors or come as spectators. If you have ever visited the rink, you know the magic it has brought to our community and beyond.
Adding a roof and permanent amenities is also critical to the long-term economic vitality of the arena. Additional rink rentals, tournaments, and learn-to-skate and learn-to-play programs made possible by these capital improvements will generate revenue that makes the rink self-sufficient, and lets us expand free open skate.
This is already working. Buying our own chiller in 2025 cut the operating budget by 15% and electricity use by 30%, and it will cut chiller costs by roughly 95% once the loan is paid off. That is what a capital gift does here: it permanently lowers what the rink costs to run, which frees money for more free ice.
Bottom line: the rink is accessible, inclusive, used by people of all ages, and encourages people to be active and to connect with their community. We need to act to keep it that way.
Make your mark at the Cape Community Arena
Our goal is to raise $5 to $7 million in immediate, pledged, and deferred gifts of cash, securities, real estate, IRAs, annuities, trusts, and other assets. Donations of every size move the campaign forward, and gifts of $500 and up are recognized at a named Founder level.
The Raise the Roof campaign was chapter one: it launched our capital fundraising, and every dollar given to it counts toward the Founders goal. As the project cleared permitting and grew into a fully phased construction plan, the campaign grew with it. Founders of Cape Arena is the campaign to build the whole thing. Raise the Roof giving counts toward Founder levels, so our earliest donors already hold the standing their generosity earned.
All donors over $1,000 will be recognized on a Donor Recognition Wall. If you'd like to designate your name to a specific piece of the project, naming and memorial opportunities are available.
Founder Levels
Monthly and quarterly giving options are available at every level, and gifts under $500 are welcomed and counted too.
Become a Founder now
Lend your name to the arena
The Cape Community Arena has been a true community resource, providing safe and enriching experiences for people of all ages and abilities. A naming-rights opportunity offers a chance to showcase your commitment to the future of this wonderful amenity.
Julie Furt, Board Chair, Cape Community Arena Group
| Opportunity | Gift | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Arena Name | $3,000,000 | Available |
| Ice Sheet Name | $1,000,000 | Available |
| Lobby | $100,000 | Available |
| Concession Stand | $75,000 | Available |
| Locker Room 1 | $50,000 | Reserved |
| Locker Room 2 | $50,000 | Reserved |
| Locker Room 3 | $50,000 | Available |
| Locker Room 4 | $50,000 | Available |
| Referee / gender-neutral changing room | $50,000 | Available |
| Arena Scoreboard 1 | $50,000 | Reserved |
| Arena Scoreboard 2 | $50,000 | Available |
| Penalty Box 1 (home) | $25,000 | Available |
| Penalty Box 2 (visitor) | $25,000 | Available |
| Team Bench (home) | $10,000 | Reserved |
| Team Bench (visitor) | $10,000 | Available |
| Ticket Office | $10,000 | Reserved |
| Scorer's Bench | $5,000 | Available |
| Arena Seating | $1,000 | Many available |
Advertising opportunities for businesses will continue to be available.
What the community loves about CCA
Community engagement and all it brings to Cape as a town.
Everything: sense of community, a place to have fun.
That it brings the community together, and that even kids that have never played hockey are starting to enjoy it!
So many things! There are so many wonderful programs. I love how accessible it is to so many groups: early skaters, family skate, stick and puck, middle school, high school, ladies, pond hockey, and adult skates! It is an amazing community resource and brings people together.
The amount of ice time available to kids to enjoy being active and being outdoors. The way in which the arena has brought the community together.
I love how it has brought our community together and encouraged in our children a love for skating. I honestly love how low key it is.
Youth programs and open skates. I love that the town has a safe place for teens to hang out on weekends. The rink has helped keep my family healthy and active this winter.
The rink has served as an incredible winter activity for our family that keeps us outdoors, active and local, and has been a great way to connect with the community. We love that it's an inexpensive winter activity too, so it feels inclusive to the entire community.
It's wonderful having a free, easily accessible activity for families during the winter. It's also a great way to introduce kids to skating, which could lead to participating in skating-based sports, but is also just great for their overall physical development.
Programs for all ages, free programming, safe and fun space for kids to hang out, community aspect, such varied options for programs.
Help us build it, from the ground to the roof
Donations of all sizes move this project forward. Here's how to become a Founder.
Give online
Give by check
Cape Community Arena Group
PO Box 5
Portland, ME 04112
Naming & pledges
Contact Whitney Liston, our fundraising chair, at whitney@capearena.org to discuss naming opportunities, multi-year pledges, and gifts other than check and credit card.
Donor policies
- The Cape Community Arena Group is a 501(c)(3) organization, and donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
- Donors selecting a naming opportunity will be recognized both on the Donor Recognition Wall and at the selected location.
- All naming opportunities are subject to the approval of the CCAG Board of Directors.
- Naming opportunities and gift levels are subject to availability and subject to change.
- Multi-year pledges, not to exceed five years, are permitted with the approval of the CCAG Board of Directors.
- Suggested wording for named gifts includes “Through the generosity of” or “In Memory/Honor of.”