East Brunswick Ice Arena Opening Expected In October, Ahead of Schedule

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – The construction of the much-awaited ice rink in East Brunswick is progressing at a fast pace, much ahead of schedule, Mayor Brad Cohen said.

During Monday’s Council meeting, Cohen informed the community that the ice rink is expected to open in October this year.

With the opening date looming, the township is looking for a vendor who could provide programs and services at the ice arena, Cohen said.

“We were able to find one such group that runs multiple teams throughout the region, and it looks very positive,” Cohen said.

With the township identifying a program provider, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be brought before the Council at the next meeting for approval.

“If the RFP looks like it fulfilled all of the requirements that we had, that would be for your approval at the next council meeting. That would put us in an unbelievably good position, because it would mean that right from the very beginning, virtually all of the ice time will have been secured,” Cohen said.

“Which helps us bring that to a place where we're able to at least make or exceed our costs, which is really phenomenal for a startup, which essentially is what this is.”

Last year, the township awarded $30 million in two contracts for the municipal ice rink.

The council approved expenses of $26,535,000 and $3,950,000 for the ice rink facility. The contract to build the 83,900-square-foot arena was given to Wood-Ridge-based Terminal Construction Corp for $26,535,000.

The $3,950,000 contract was given to Ice Builders, Inc. from Liverpool, NY, for the two indoor ice rinks, including mechanical systems, concrete slabs beneath the ice, refrigeration and other required features.

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