BATAVIA
Ice rink turns small profit for first time
BATAVIA — Batavia’s 30-year-old ice arena, having weathered years of maintenance problems, management and name changes, and underutilization in spring and summer months, has finally showed a profit, the City Council learned at Monday’s regular meeting.
Firland Management of Lewiston, Maine, took over the operation two years ago and despite a $64,500 loss due to lack of off-season bookings made a $23,660 profit on revenues of $236,000.
Firland paid nearly $34,000 to the city as part of its contract and made a new $5,000 payment to the city based on profits.
The rink on Evans Street is now named the Falleti Ice Arena for a local car dealership’s financial support. It has also been known as the Royal Rink and the Mancuso Memorial Arena.
Whatever the name, the facility — used largely by local high school hockey teams — has been an on-going city expense for repairs and maintenance.
In its report Firland says it is “satisfied with the operations but will continue to implement improvements.” Firland noted that the management firm has already upgraded locker rooms and showers and is working with the city on new energy saving systems. The firm is also paying for a new Zamboni ice maker purchased by the city and put into use in early August.
In other business, the Council set Oct. 14 for a public hearing to abolish its Board of Ethics, which was resurrected three years ago but has rarely if ever been at its full complement of six Council-appointed members. There is also a question of whether the board has any authority to enforce its decisions.
The board came into the news this summer with a challenge that Fourth Ward Councilman F. Robert Bialkowski should recuse himself from voting on resolutions concerning the city-owned City Centre Mall where his wife, Madeleine, is manager.
The matter was referred to the Genesee County Board of Ethics but that body cannot act if a municipality has established its own board. While the city had established a board, that board has not been able to get a quorum.
