Dear President Hanlon,

We ask you to re-consider Dartmouth’s decision to keep Occom Pond closed for the winter. Given the current circumstances, we were looking forward to enjoying skating and hockey in the relatively safe confines of the great outdoors. We believe that, as the owner of the pond, Dartmouth should provide free skating as a public service that showcases its dedication to this community. Building rinks on the Dartmouth Green was an excellent idea but their small size limit the opportunities for student skating while their exclusivity prevent the community at large from enjoying them.  

Therefore, as the coldest days of the year are upon us, we ask you to clear Occom Pond and allow the entire community to skate. Please let us know how we can, together, move forward on this wonderful Hanover/Dartmouth community tradition of winter skating on the pond. 

Signed,

The Hanover Community