Montclair Ice Rink Has Condition Issues – Here's What Town Manager Saw During His Visit

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Conditions at a local ice rink in Montclair are raising concerns from some officials, who discussed the possibility of shutting it down earlier this week.

The Montclair Town Council debated a resolution involving Clary Anderson Arena at their meeting on Tuesday. The venue – which hosts activities such as public skating, lessons and youth ice hockey – is located at 41 Chestnut Street.

Town manager Stephen Marks suggested that the council consider the possibility of closing the arena until a safety assessment can be done.

According to Marks, he paid a visit to the arena about two weeks ago and saw “many code violations as well as life/health safety hazards.”

“It made me feel very uncomfortable that it’s a place of public accommodation,” he told the council.

Marks said that a section of roof is leaking directly into the utility room, where the mechanical systems and an electrical sub-panel is exposed to the elements. Although it isn’t apparently accessible to the general public, it’s still “very concerning” from a liability perspective, he said.

The town manager pointed out that a resolution authorizing a $34,000 contract to assess conditions at the arena and come up with a prioritized repair list with cost estimates was on the agenda that night.

“I can tell you – from eyeballing it myself – it will be in the six figures to make the necessary repairs,” he said.

Council members debated the possibility of closing the rink.

Mayor Renee Baskerville commented that she would feel “very comfortable if we did not allow it to be opened for individuals to go in there, until such time as we are 100 percent sure that there is going to be no safety hazard for anyone.”

“And then we can do whatever studies we need to do,” she added.

Councilwoman Carmel Loughman also expressed concerns about conditions at the rink.

“We’ve let the cat out of the bag,” Loughman said. “We have no defense if something happens to somebody at this place.”

Loughman also said it may be worth having a discussion about the long-term future of the property.

“There’s a point of view that you should close it – it’s reached its normal life, there’s other things perhaps we could do with the property to maybe generate some revenue for the town,” she said.

The council eventually declined to vote on closing the arena, with Marks saying that municipal code inspectors would pay a visit to the venue in the near future – and that they have the authority to shut it down if needed.

The resolution regarding the proposed contract was removed from the agenda.

Watch footage from the April 22 meeting below (video is cued to the discussion about the arena).

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