City's Wollman Rink Deal Skates Ahead As BP, Comptroller Object

CENTRAL PARK, NY — The city's plan to hand over Wollman Rink to an eclectic group of businesses plowed ahead this week, even as two key officials expressed concerns about the plan.

The storied Central Park skating rink had been controlled since the 1980s by the Trump Organization, but the city canceled the contract in January over then-President Trump's role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Earlier this month, after putting out a request for proposals for a new rink operator, the Parks Department announced its choice: a group led by the developer Related Companies; the firm Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers; and Equinox, the gym chain.

Dubbed Wollman Park Partners LLC, the group pledged to renovate rink facilities, partner with popular food vendors, prioritize "inclusivity and accessibility" in its programming and reinvest any profits back into the rink.

Some reacted with puzzlement to the pick, including Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who had publicly urged the city to give Wollman to the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy.

On Wednesday, the deal moved closer to completion when the city's Franchise and Concession Review Committee held a public hearing at East Harlem's Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center. No vote was taken, and since the mayor controls the board, it was likely to sail through regardless.

But Brewer registered her objections, joined by City Comptroller Scott Stringer, who argued that the city was not getting all it could from the deal.

Brewer renewed her call for Wollman to be given to the Conservancy, noting that Lasker Rink on Central Park's north side was recently handed over to the nonprofit without it even putting together a bid.

She then outlined more than a half dozen other objections, including the business group's lack of experience running venues and its plans to charge $41 for weekend skating tickets — a price that Brewer called unaffordable.

The group counters that the $41 ticket includes locker and skate rentals and notes that Harris Blitzer, one of the partners, has managed large venues for the sports teams it owns.

Stringer, too, called the rink's pricing plan into question. He also said the LLC had been less than transparent in its pledge to renovate the rink, asked why the city had declined to put in place a minimum threshold for rink events that must be open to the public.

Reached for comment, a Parks Department spokesperson touted the LLC's commitments and described it as the "highest-rated proposer through our competitive RFP process."

"[O]ur selection has been met with great public support as the majority of yesterday’s testimony demonstrates," spokesperson Megan Moriarty said. "We will work with Wollman Park Partners throughout the term of their agreement to ensure that the concession is accessible and affordable."

Moriarty added that the competitive bidding was the most reliable way to guarantee skating would be offered this winter. The "sole source" agreement proposed by the Conservancy would have risked delaying or canceling the season, the city has argued.

If its bid is approved, the LLC pledged to have Wollman Rink open for ice skating by November. Its contract will last for five years.

The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the rest of the park, had promised to spend $50 million to improve Wollman Rink as part of its unsuccessful effort to win control. The nonprofit pithed itself as a more responsible steward for the treasured rink than a profit-motivated operator.

The July 6 announcement of the new operator included what appeared to be renderings of a renovated Wollman Rink, and others showing the rink during summertime outfitted with a stage.

Off-season plans for Wollman have not been announced, and the Victorian Gardens theme park that used to fill the space in the summers has said it likely won't return.

Other city attractions in need of new management following the Trump Organization's canceled contract include the Central Park Carousel, which the city plans to award to Central Amusement International: the operator of Coney Island's Luna Park.

Previous coverage:

• Business Group To Take Over Wollman Rink As City Spurns Nonprofit
• Central Park Conservancy Makes $50M Pitch To Operate Wollman Rink
• Give Wollman Rink Back To Central Park, Borough Prez Says