Mayor Thatcher Kezer said he will spend the upcoming weeks studying a proposal to build a permanent ice rink at Town Park — a project that's drawn concern and frustration from the founder of the Amesbury Pines Disc Golf Course.

The rink would be placed in the middle of his course and would mean losing three holes, Dan Ouellet says.

The 100-by-80-foot permanent outdoor ice rink is proposed by the Carriage Museum for family skating. It would be in the same spot a rink existed years ago, in the park off Highland Street.

"I'm confident we can come to a solution where everyone can coexist," Kezer said last week. "I don't believe it to be impossible to have both functions coexisting."

A town park will have many, he said.

Kezer said he will review the notes from the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting where the proposal was discussed. He will also visit Pines Park and talk with both sides, he said.

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A home rule petition on eminent domain sent by the town to the Statehouse was passed by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Deval Patrick last week.

The petition allows Amesbury to set its own restrictions on the taking of properties to be more stringent than state law, specifically that property cannot be taken for economic development.

Voters in November agreed to send the measure, sponsored by former Municipal Councilor Alison Lindstrom, to the Statehouse.

Lindstrom said the House and Senate both agreed to pass it and sent it to the governor's desk. He has 10 days to act on it.

"I'm so excited," Lindstrom said. "When the governor was here, he told constituents that he would support it and he would sign it. It's really the will of the people."

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Amesbury's Jason Brown is continuing his battle with acute myeloid leukemia. Brown, of Fruit Place, has finished his second round of chemotherapy and will be going back to Massachusetts General Hospital today for another weeklong stay and more treatment. After he is discharged, he will continue with outpatient care, and later, another round of chemotherapy.

"His spirits are good and he feels like his old self at times," his father, Reggie Brown, wrote in a letter last week. "It looks like he is heading toward a full recovery, but things change so we are hoping for the best."

Reggie Brown extended his thanks to all those in the community who have donated to help the family cover the costs associated with commuting to Boston to visit Jason at Mass General and to aid with the financial burden the family is facing.

"We all appreciate their caring and thoughtfulness," he wrote.

The family is continuing to ask for contributions to help pay for gas, tolls and parking at the hospital. Donations to the Brown family can be sent to the Provident Bank, 5 Market St., Amesbury, MA 01913 in care of Reginald P. Brown Jr. for the Jason Brown Fund. Collection cans can also be found at Richdale, Vermette's, The Pizza Factory and Cumberland Farms.

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The town clerk's office is sending out notices to those households that have not yet responded to the census.

Under state law, residents must answer the census. Those who do not respond are added to the inactive voter list. They must sign the notice from the clerk's office and return it to be reactivated on the voting list.

New residents must fill out a change of address form or notify the clerk's office in writing. When moving to a new town, one must re-register to vote in that community. If a resident has not voted since the last presidential election in 2004 or has not returned a census form, he or she is urged to check with the clerk's office by the last day of the registration period to verify eligibility.

The last day to register to vote or change party affiliation for the September primary is Aug. 27. The clerk's office will remain open until 8 that night for voter registration.

Call 978-388-8100 with questions or concerns.

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Motorists heading into downtown via Elm Street will note a change — the Mobil station changed to Irving last week. That is the second Mobil station in town to close. The former Mobil station on Route 110 closed last year.

The Municipal Council approved a license transfer for that facility earlier this summer and it should reopen soon, likely as a Sunoco.

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The Amesbury Police Department and the public library will help sponsor the 25th annual National Night Out tomorrow from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cashman Elementary School on Lions Mouth Road.

Antique cars will be on display and refreshments will be provided.

Ronald McDonald, with his traveling show, will make an appearance at 6:30 p.m. Saab's East Coast Martial Arts demonstration team will perform at 7 p.m.

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The following meetings have been scheduled for this week. Check with the town clerk's office for last-minute changes:

Monday

Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., Town Hall auditorium

Historical Commission, 7 p.m., Senior Center

Thursday

Assessors, 6 p.m., Town Hall auditorium

Katie Farrell covers Amesbury for The Daily News. She can be reached at 978-462-6666, ext. 3232, or by e-mail at kfarrell@newburyportnews.com.