BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
ENGLEWOOD, N.J. –– Due to “a significant leak” in cooling equipment at Mackay Park’s John T. Wright Ice Arena, three “emergency” contracts totaling $114,531.91 were approved by city council at a special meeting Nov. 27 despite a chorus of criticism from residents about the council’s management of the facility.
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Residents voiced concerns that ice rink repair services being voted on were already completed and may not have constituted an emergency condition requiring the expedited funding measures.
“This was an emergency financial issue,” said Councilman Eugene Skurnick, who said the city manager had requested “a sense” of the council to move ahead with repairs to the ice rink and received it.
Both Council President Wayne Hamer and Councilman At-Large Charles Cobb disputed Skurnick’s statement.
“This was done legally and properly,” said Skurnick, voting on a resolution to appropriate $87,500 to replace refrigerant.
He said that approximately 400 children in Englewood schools are enrolled in programs sponsored by the ice rink and that the work needed to be done immediately to continue those programs.
Several times during council discussion to approve funds, residents interrupted or shouted comments at council members for spending money on the arena and approving funds on an emergency basis.
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Hamer abstains
The city council approved three resolutions for $114,531.91 for “an emergent situation” at John T. Wright Ice Arena—as the resolutions phrased it—with Hamer abstaining from votes on the three ice arena repair resolutions stating that “the process” of consulting with council members and public input was not followed.
Hamer said it was “unfortunate” that Skurnick was on the phone at the Nov. 21 council meeting when the council asked for additional information from interim city manager Ed Hynes “to move us to a point where we can take a vote,” said Hamer.
“We never gave an OK to proceed without having the factual information in front of us. That information never came back to us and the work was done last week and now we’re being asked to vote for it,” said Hamer, who abstained, adding: “I don’t appreciate the way the process was handled.”
Reached Nov. 29, Ken Katz, ice arena manager, who attended the special meeting, said the rink was closed in late October due to the refrigerant leak and will reopen on Dec. 4. Katz declined to comment on the meeting.
Katz, manager for five years, said the rink refrigerant system was fully operational and set at approximately 19 degrees, creating a hard ice surface.
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Skating programs
“Everyone has really embraced the ice rink,” he said. Katz said the rink offers a variety of skating programs, including a free hockey program that provides free equipment to approximately 150 kids, sponsored by the New Jersey Devils. In addition, other programs include “Skating Scholars” for middle school students and more than a dozen skating programs.
Katz said due to the refrigerant leak and rink closure, the season may be extended past its usual March 31 closing date.
Skurnick noted a “tremendous number of kids from public schools” use the rink when he voted to approve repair funding.
“This is the second time we spend 80-plus thousand dollars on refrigerant,” said Cobb, who abstained on a resolution allocating an amount “not to exceed” $87,500 to provide refrigerant “on an expedited basis and assist in the repair of the facility.”
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What defines an ‘emergency’?
Rev. John Gibbons questioned Borough Attorney William Bailey about what constituted emergency spending. Bailey said he believed the council could spend the funds and said the city charter and general law permit exceptions to public contract law that allows such spending.
He said he “believed” the funds could be spent under an “emergency” funding measure and Gibbons asked Bailey if he would testify to that belief.
Hamer said all three resolutions say these are “emergency repairs, so somebody had to make that designation.” Hamer promised to get an answer to Gibbons as to who designated the council expenditures as an “emergency.”