Ice Arena
This project was handed to us by the previous council.
The Arena was built 50 years ago, entirely by a group of benefactors. My position, during the campaign and now, is that the NHA and Hockey Boosters should raise 10M and if that happened, the city could kick in no more than 10M (to account for its lack of care / upkeep / updating on the current Arena)
But I also do NOT think this should be done on the backs of the taxpayers.
The EDA then decided to take on the project (with 2 current Council members sitting on the EDA) and touted it as an Economic Driving Engine. Whatever economic benefit it brings, it would be weekend tournaments. The NHA projects 10 tournaments a year, which seems awfully high.
It’s also on the school’s wish list, claiming they will lose 100 students (and corresponding state aid) if the Hockey Arena is not replaced. It’s another questionable claim, but has gone un-rebutted.
Being 7 months into my elected position, I am not happy about this. But I am not trying to kill it. It belongs on the yoke of the previous council. In fair disclosure my wife and I are donors, in the spirit of the 50-year-old philanthropy. But I also do NOT think this should be done on the backs of the taxpayers.
I find the tax consequences to be unfortunate, but inevitable. (See next piece on Property Taxes)