NORTH ADAMS — Guy Cariddi knows the ice at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Skating Rink well. He recalls the rink's opening in 1969 when he was seven years old, and he was part of the first Northern Berkshire Youth Hockey League team, led by Clifford "Kip" Syrett.

"I had on girls' white figure skates, he taped magazines around our shins and had a box of wrestling helmets," Cariddi said of Syrett. He followed in his footsteps, coaching the youth league for 43 years.

But today, he's the rink's steward. He stepped up as manager about four years ago after working at the rink part-time over the years. He said that many aspects of the rink are unchanged from when he first entered it over 50 years ago, including its floors, roof and bleacher heaters that have stopped working.

Judi Dias photographs her grandchildren and their parents as they enjoy the ice.

"I was here as a hobby 20 hours a week," he said. "Coming here and running the facility now is as much as [a] hobby as it is a job."

Now, as manager, he's bringing the rink into the 21st Century. This year, the floors were replaced and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which owns the rink and leases it to the city, paid over $500,000 to replace the facility's roof with a new polyvinyl chloride membrane.

"We were desperate," he said. "These were all things that had aged out. ... They were 55-year-old rubber floors."

The Heelan family along with grandma Judi Dias put on their ice skates before going on the ice. Some of the many upgrades at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in North Adams include painting the walls and the benches.

The bleacher guards on the side of each bleacher have also been replaced and the broken bleacher heaters are next. Cariddi said the doors into the rink from the lobby will be switched out with fiberglass replacements that are more energy efficient, but the rink is waiting on permits. Cariddi also aims to replace the rink’s children's skates in the spring. Its adult skates were replaced in 2023.

The improvements come amid an uptick in demand. Last season, public skating was at an all-time high since Cariddi took over and he expects that surge to continue this winter. The rink has also added eight full-time teams since 2021, bringing its total to 18.

Some of the many upgrades at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in North Adams include new railings on the bleachers and heaters above them.

"Adding all of these teams has enabled us to do these renovations," he said.

Next year, Cariddi hopes to redo and expand the locker rooms, which haven't been updated since 1969.

Some of the many upgrades at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in North Adams include new skates which they purchased in 2023.

With 18 teams sharing one rink, coordination and teamwork are essential.

"I know this place like the back of my hand, but that's a good thing because I know all of the people involved," said Cariddi. "We don't have a lot of bickering. All groups try to work together as much as possible and we avoid conflict that way."

Some of the many upgrades at the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink in North Adams include a new roof on the building.

When schedules overlap, teams often get creative. For example, Cariddi said that if the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has a hockey game when a youth team is supposed to practice, MCLA might make the game a youth hockey night to accommodate the younger team. Similarly, if a hockey league game cuts into the regular time of a figure skating club, the club might perform during halftime.

"We only have so much ice, and we have to share it," Cariddi said.

Want to skate? The rink posts open skate hours two weeks in advance on Facebook. Cariddi noted that times may change depending on hockey schedules.