What’s going on at Hyde Park Arena?

Every time I open Facebook, I see another social media post about positive things going on at Hyde Park Ice Pavilion.

To recap, the administration of Mayor Robert Restaino issued a request for proposals for a new operator for the rink.

Existing operator Mike Carella had been in place for more than a decade and for several years without a contract.

The administration claimed Carella owed more than $1 million in utilities and other fees but never offered any accounting. Carella served under two mayors and multiple controllers.

Carella bid as Niagara Sports Tournaments but came in second to Legacy Sports.

Legacy Sports was insufficiently vetted by the administration and rejected 3-2 with David Zajac joining Donta Myles and Brian Archie who delayed any decision.

It was like another Rod Davis situation avoided. Left to its devices, the administration seems to usually embrace friends, families or who it knows or be kowtowed by flashy people from elsewhere with shady histories.

Legacy, for example, even stole photos from the Hyde Park Arena Website showing Carella’s wedding. The last time Legacy appeared in the news was after the New York State Fair terminated its contract to run a restaurant. It was the 1st of 5 years for the contract.

Hyde Park arena was temporarily locked in a Restaino fit which quickly passed after a disturbing image of locks changed and kids barred from a tournament that had been scheduled for months began to circulate on social and other media.

Right when it seemed it could not get worst, 16Athletics stepped in. The youth sports outfit, under the direction of Jerry Puleo, is Niagara Falls based and started with a focus on baseball and was empowered by Restaino.

Puleo, who owns Tropical Heating and Cooling, erected a pole barn during Covid to allow kids to train for baseball.

The place has been cleaned and painted. New logos and branding have been created. Locker rooms have been painted.

They have even scheduled the return of open public skating.

I haven’t heard any further complaints. There are some unresolved issues in the maelstrom of positivity.

1. Is 16Sports paying to run the arena? What agreement or guarantees has Puleo been offered? How was the vendor selected? All that cleaning and painting and signage is expensive. By some reports Puleo has pledged to spend up to $75,000 on improvements. How does that work economically or is it a donation?
2. Does Legacy have a leg to stand on? It was the low bidder and was rejected (or at least delayed). Though its reviews and history are, at best, shaky, was the city obligated to honor the agreement?
3. Did Carella really owe more than $1 million? How did the administration allow this sum to get that high? Why has there been no accounting?

There are a lot of other things in Niagara Falls government that require greater attention.

1. What happened to reassessment? Two years ago the city council approved a plan to put it out to request an RFP. Why was it never advanced?
2. How about a meaningful accounting of how the American Rescue Plan funds were spent?
3. Why are city residency requirements only selectively enforced for employees?
4. Why did the Centennial Park Arena feasibility study include no meaningful scrutiny of alternative sites or debt service for proposed financing when it is likely taxpayers will be on the hook for $200 million or more?
5. Why did the council vote 4-0 to approve the garbage tax when the city has a $21 million fund balance. A responsible council could have offered a 50% tax cut.