Council Rejects Englewood Arena Repairs

After an outpouring of public opposition, the city council voted Tuesday night to shelve a bond ordinance that would have allocated $674,350 toward improvements to the John T. Wright Arena.

The council approved nearly $2 million in bonds to replace the Overpeck Creek Channel Wall. The two projects were initially joined in one bond ordinance, but the council voted to separate the issues at a work session two weeks ago.

At the same work session, the cost of the improvements to the arena was scaled back $80,000. The council had agreed on repairs to the roof damaged last year by Superstorm Sandy, but disagreed on line items such as bleacher replacements and an appropriation for a concession stand.

“We’ve taken out a lot of things that were here to be fiscally prudent,” said Councilmember Michael Cohen, arguing that tabling the project at this stage would imperil the future of the arena.

But many members of the public disagreed, with some asking the council to move forward only on repairs to the roof and discard improvements not necessary to the basic operation of the rink.

 “I would like you to consider bringing the rink back to pre-Sandy conditions,” Anita Newkirk told the council in lengthy public comments portion of the meeting. “Not all of the money you’re going to spend.”

“I came here thinking I was going to be supporting the rink,” agreed Michael Passow. “And right now, after everything I’ve heard, I urge you to vote no on this.”

“It is too much money for something that is not going to be serving the needs of much of the community,” he added.

While much of the criticism of the project has focused on the limited number of Englewood residents using the facility for hockey and ice skating, supporters of the project have argued that the unique lease agreement negotiated with the Boys and Girls Club of Garfield, which will operate the arena, is going to help provide recreation programming beyond the ice.

Under the ten-year lease, the club is to use all proceeds from its operation of the arena toward developing youth programs for residents of Englewood.

In a letter published Monday by Patch, board president LouAnn Visotcky said the club has “a plan to convert the arena in Mackay Park into basketball courts in the summer and a venue for concerts, banquets and other events.”

“These are things to make the facility safer, to give it just a tiny bit of sparkle, and to begin to use this asset in a way that serves more people in the community,” Councilmember Lynne Algrant said of the improvements.

But several residents questioned not just the specifics of the Boys and Girls Club’s recreation plan, but whether the scope of the improvements was necessary to make the arena and the arrangement with the club effective.

“Which of the programs that the Boys and Girls Club wants to run can’t be run without that money?” asked Phillip Vogel, an Englewood resident and electronics engineer who has volunteered to fix the arena’s sound system and scoreboard at no cost.

Councilmember Eugene Skurnick, who has been a vocal opponent of the ordinance since its introduction, pushed the council to amend the ordinance and only repair the roof. His suggestion was voted down.

“What is quite clear to me, which I heard at the town hall meeting and I heard tonight, is a vast, vast majority of people want the rink open. We can have the rink open by repairing the roof, period,” Skurnick said.

“Virtually all the money will be paid for by insurance.”

Both Skurnick and Councilmember Wayne Hamer voted against the ordinance. Bond ordinances require two thirds of the council rather than a simple majority, so the two dissenting votes were enough to shelve the ordinance.

Hamer said that while he is not opposed to the cost of the project, he voted no due to the lack of specifics on the long-term plan for youth programming promised by supporters of the project.

“We need to talk about the future of recreation,” he said in a statement read before casting his vote.

The future of the arena is uncertain, as city manager Timothy Dacey indicated that a delay in funding for roof repairs will prevent an opening in time for hockey season.

Mayor Frank Huttle, while expressing disappointment at the result of the vote, said that he was pleased at the turnout for the meeting from residents and that his next step will be holding more public meetings to discuss the arena.

“There’s so much miscommunication, there’s so much bad facts, that it’s time for the people in this room and the other 27,000 people [in Englewood] to find out what they are.”

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