Falleti Ice Arena

Local entrepreneur Tim Walton has arranged for iTeen to bring an MTV season premier party to Falleti Ice Arena on June 24.

The premier party will be for the MTV series "The Challenge: Rivals." Cast member Wes Bergmann will be on hand and teens attending the event will all have a chance to meet him and get their pictures taken with him.

The entire skate floor will be turned into one huge dance floor.

 "Were going all out for this," Walton said.

ITeen, with more than 20,000 followers on Facebook, is based in Buffalo and hosts events in nightclubs such as PURE, Infinity and Club Paradise.

iTeen is for high school students only and is supervised by NYS licensed security that have handled numerous of these events before.

"We take safety seriously," Walton said. "Our security takes the highest priority in making sure that it is a safe atmosphere. We overstaff on security, with each one being NYS security licensed or a police officer, and some are even EMT certified as well."

The June 24 party, which will run from 7 to 11 p.m., is the first of several iTeen events he hopes to bring to Batavia.

The city's revenue from Falleti Ice Arena is expected to double under terms of a new lease negotiated with Firland Management.

Lease payments will jump from $7,000 a year to $15,000 a year and by the fourth year of the lease, reaching $20,000 per year.

Proceeds from the lease, Batavia City Manager Jason Molino said, are held in reserve.

“Those funds are to be put into a capital improvement fund for capital improvements that may need to be done to the facility that the city is responsible for at a later point in time," Molino said.

The city council is expected to approve the lease at its next business meeting.

(via WBTA)

It's one of the biggest games of the year. This Saturday the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1-2-1) will host the Batavia Ice Devils (4-6-1-0) at the Falleti Ice Arena in front of an almost guaranteed sold out arena. The netcasting will begin shortly before the game that is set to faceoff at 1 p.m.

The game will be netcast live right here on The Batavian. It will include play-by-play updates and an up-to-date scoreboard and time-clock. Anyone following the netcast will also be able to participate in game polls, and get the chance to ask questions in a chat room style.

This matchup will be the first time the two teams meet this year. Notre Dame will be led by leading scorer Jack Nenni and goaltender Tom Dehr, who again this year, is ranked one of the top goaltenders in Section V. Batavia will be led by Junior forward Josh Marr, who is currently leading the team in points.

Once again on Monday evening, Batavia City Council members debated the future of the Falleti Ice Arena -- whether to sell it, or not; whether it makes money, or not; whether it's a vital service to the community, or not.

Councilman Tim Buckley indicated he's had enough.

The city is facing some big and tough budget decisions in the near future, and the council has a lot on its plate. Enough, he said, of debating Falleti Ice Arena.

“I don’t want to make this out as not an important issue, but I want to move away from this issue," Buckley said. "I want to get this thing done. I think as a council we have to realize we’ve got our hands full."

Buckley's suggestion: Have City Manager Jason Molino sit down with Firland, the management company currently running the ice arena, and see what kind of new lease terms can be arranged and bring that proposal back to the council.

After Buckley's opening statement, Councilman Bob Bialkowski said he's been doing the math, and he believes, all things considered, the city is losing thousands of dollars a year on the ice arena.

Bialkowski said he figures the city has expenses related to the ice arena in the range of $53,000, but only gets back in the neighborhood of $40,000. 

City Manager Jason Molino said there are other variables involved, and some of the expenses wouldn't go away if the arena is sold -- such as debt service.

Councilman Bill Cox said he doesn't believe there is any way the city benefits financially from ownership of the arena.

"What’s in it for the taxpayers?" Cox said. "I don’t think anybody on this council, at least not in my hearing, thinks that we’re against the ice arena that we want it to close. ... I don’t want it to close -- I think it’s a great asset to the city. But it should be privatized.

"We’re talking about privatizing it, not closing it. When you privatize it, guess what, you lose control. Do you have any control over the guy who buys your house, what color he paints it after you leave? Of course not."

Councilman Frank Ferrando said while he was once in favor of selling the arena, he's gotten so much feedback from constituents that the city should keep it, that's who he is going to listen to.

"The vast majority of people in this community like the ice rink the way it is, with the city owning it, leasing to Firland," Ferrando said. "I don’t even know what the advantage would be to the taxpayer in the long run if we sold it."

With Cox, Bialkowski, Rosemary Christian and Sam Barone voting no, the council referred the matter to City Manager Jason Molino to see what can be worked out with Firland.

Near the end of the discussion, Cox suggested that WBTA, The Batavian and the Batavia Daily News all run surveys to find out what local residents want done with the arena. After the meeting, we showed Cox the results of an Oct. 26 poll on The Batavian (a totally unscientific poll, we noted) that showed only 22 percent of the respondents supported selling the arena no matter what. Cox's response: "Wow."

Batavia Kiwanis once again sponsored a community skate for Thanksgiving at the Falleti Ice Arena, and kids of all ages showed up.

More photos after the jump, and photos available for purchase by clicking here.

Even though there are roadblocks in the way of selling the Falleti Ice Arena, a majority of Batavia City Council members said last night they to find out how much revenue could be generated by selling it. They also want more details about the original purchase.

On a 4-3 vote, after much discussion, and more information from City Manager Jason Molino on the difficulties of a sale, the council instructed Molino to gather facts about the purchase and, if the rink was sold, the options of handling the money.

With councilmembers Kathy Briggs and Tim Buckley absent, Councilman Frank Ferrando called for a vote at the next meeting on whether the city should continue to look at a possible sale of the arena.

Councilmembers Bill Cox, Bob Bialkowsk, Sam Barone and Rose Mary Christian all voted in favor of getting a professional appraisal.

As for the difficulties involved in selling the arena, Molino explained that the city had recieved $1.2 million for energy capital improvements. It was a 15-year loan.

Approximately $630,000 of that was spent on improvements at the ice rink.

The upgrades included; new lighting; an energy-management system; refrigeration improvements; foil ceiling to keep heat out; new exterior doors; a ventilation system to vent out carbon-dioxide from the Zamboni; and a new boiler that is used for heating both the ice rink and the fire department, which are connected.

These resulted in lower utility costs. The city's lease contract with Firland Management called for Firland to pay the city the difference due to the improvements. That's about $25,000 per year for the city -- roughly 30-percent of the annual $84,000 payment the city has to make for the 11 years remaining on the loan.

According to Molino, the rink was built in 1978 with a Community Development Block Grant, which required the city to build some type of multi-use community center and the vote went to putting up the arena.

Since it was built with CDBG funds, if the rink was sold, the revenue would have to be used to benefit low- to moderate-income families. The project would also need to be approved by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

So the money would probably have to be used to build another community center or to put improvements into an existing one, yet it is not certain if the latter would be allowed.

Councilman Bill Cox asked Molino to submit a formal request to HUD to see what the money could be used for and find facts as to what could be done with revenue if the rink was sold.

Revenue from its sale could not go toward the city's loan. Batavia would have to pay the  balance with other money.

The city would also lose the $25,000 Firland pays toward the loan debt each year.

If the city maintains ownership and renews the agreement with Firland -- which the company wants to do -- the city could expect a total of $400,000 from Firland over the next 11 years. That's enough to cover debt service, including the $75,000 still owed on the Zamboni.

In a previous report, Molino guessed that the sale price might only be four or five times current revenue, or between $300,000 and $400,000. City Attorney George Van Nest has cautioned council members that finding a buyer could be difficult.

The city also receives $5,000 per year for five years from Falleti Motors, which won the bid for the naming rights in December 2006.

After expenses, the city still profits $10,000- $15,000 per year. The money goes into a rink reserve account, which is used for any repairs or building upgrades that may be needed. Any money the city puts into the rink, is money received from the rink.

After listening to Dave Meyer speak at last night's meeting, Councilman Frank Ferrando changed his position and now strongly opposes selling the arena.

He said the council was spending too much time on the issue -- treating it like it is critical to sell the arena.

"We are receiving money and there hasn't been a problem," Ferrando said. "We aren't in business. We aren't doing payroll."

He said Meyers had a good point by referring to the arena as "a park in the wintertime" and offers a lot for kids, families and even adults.

"I am kinda proud that we as a community provide the facility and we provide it in a way that isn't a burden to us," Ferrando said, "and we have income coming from it. We are making a complicated issue out of a simple issue."

Ferrando stated that selling the arena is "as ludicrous as dividing up Kibbe Park and selling it as property. ... I'm not interested in selling that ice rink."

Councilwoman Rose Mary Christian, who's in favor of the sale, argued that "I am not getting any service from the rink" as compared to the fire department and other services.

Councilwoman Patti Pacino responded by reminding Christian, that unlike the fire and police departments that are free to everyone, this is a different type of service because the people that play hockey, pay to use the arena. So the taxpayers aren't paying for sports there that not everyone plays.

It's not that the Faletti Ice Arena can't be sold, but restrictions from the grant money used to build it create one more barrier for the city to overcome before it can jettison the facility, according to a report released by the City Manager's office.

After some preliminary discussions with state and federal officials, it appears that if the city were to sell the ice rink, any proceeds would need to be used only on other parks and recreation facilities, or to benefit low- and moderate-income residents.

And how the money is used would also need to be approved by either the federal agency or the state agency that now administers Community Development Block Grants (CDBG).

The proceeds could not be used to pay down any current debt on the facility.

The city manager's report was released to city council members on Thursday and the findings will be discussed at Monday's council conference meeting.

The report notes that before these findings are confirmed, more talks need to take place with the federal Housing and Urban Development Department and the state's Office of Community Renewal.

The arena was originally built with CDBG funds in 1978, and it came with strings attached, including specifying what the city can do with the arena.

The existing debt on the rink is $400,000 and it is being paid by the current operator.

In 2006, the city received $1.2 million in low-interest loans from the state to improve energy efficiency at city facilities, including the ice arena. The operator will pay about $25,000 this year as reimbursement for the arena's share of those improvements.

The Batavia City Council continued to haggle over whether to sell Falleti Ice Arena at its Monday meeting.

At least four members are clearly in the "sell" camp -- Rose Mary Christian, Bill Cox, Bob Bialkowski and Sam Barone.

The others are more leary of surrendering an asset to a private entity that could do absolutely anything with it.

I don’t think anybody here is saying they want the ice arena to go away," Cox said. "Just because it's privatized doesn’t mean it we won’t have it anymore."

To which Frank Ferrando pointed out that once it's sold, the city won't have any say what a private owner might do with it.

Cox's position was that a private company already runs it without city control, and Ferrando countered that as long as the city owns it, a management company can always be replaced if it isn't getting the job done the way the city wants it done.

And so it goes -- the pros and cons of selling Falleti Ice Arena.

In the end, the council decided to continue the discussion at a future conference meeting.

At issue on Monday was whether to spend up to $5,000 on an appraisal, which City Manager Jason Molino said would be the first step toward finding a buyer.

Barone wondered why the price was so high and asked whether the city's own appraiser or a local real estate agent could provide an appraisal.

Molino explained that only a licensed appraiser with experience in commercial property could provide an appraisal that could legally be used in establishing fair-market value.

Ferrando and Councilman Tim Buckley objected to spending money on an appraisal.

"I’d like to know what it’s worth, but I’m not sure I want to spend $5,000 right now," said Ferrando. "We keep dipping into the reserve fund and pretty soon we’re not going to have a reserve."

Buckley said he isn't even sure it's legal for the city to sell Falleti since a federal grant, secured by the late Rep. Barber Conable, paid for its construction. 

Buckley wanted to table the matter, but Bialkowski objected to any further delays since the current management contract is coming up for renewal.

One city resident spoke during public comments about the proposed sale.

"I would ask those council members who feel that (the city shouldn't be in the ice arena business) -- should we be in the parks business, or the water spray park business, or the baseball stadium business? " asked Dave Meyer (pictured).

"Frankly, I personally believe that Dwyer Stadium is a much better example of public money wasted, but no one ever talks about reducing support for that facility or selling it. Why?

"Because whether I agree with public support for that or not, I know that there are many people who enjoy going to a game on a summer night and I also know that Dwyer Stadium, and the ice arena and Austin Park and Lions Park and all of the other parks are part of the recreational fabric of our city and they add to the quality of life here."

If the city were to sell the Falliti Ice Arena, it would have to get at least $450,000 for the 30-year-old facility according to City Manager Jason Molino.

That base price would cover current debt on recent improvements to the facility, the Zamboni ice resurfacer as well as the cost of separating the HVAC and sewer line, which is shared with the Batavia Fire Department headquarters.

Councilwoman Patti Pacino, for one, doesn't think any investor will pay as much as $450,000 for a facility that old and attached to a municipal building. What's more, she's worried that once the building has new owners, they will be under no obligation to provide community services, such as hosting local hockey leagues and high school programs.

What if some day they wanted to turn it into a discotheque, or something else, she mused.

"That (loss of community use of the facility) frightens me," Pacino said.

Councilman Bill Cox  (pictured) said he's pleased with how well things are going with the current management company, but doesn't think the city should own an ice arena.

"The ice arena is (a) great service and it’s enjoyed by people from throughout the county, but it’s not a vital service to the city," Cox said. "I believe we have to get out of areas that really aren't vital city services and involve private business."

Councilman Bob Bialkowski is all for selling the facility. He said he already received calls from local business people supporting the idea of selling it, wondering what the city was doing running an ice rink to begin with.

Technically, the city doesn't run it. For the past four seasons, a management company, Firland, has run the rink, and by all accounts, has done a good job. Firland has made all of its obligated payments to the city, totaling more than $160,000.

If the agreement were renewed -- which Firland wants to do -- the city could expect $400,000 from Firland over the next 11 years, enough to cover debt service, including the $75,000 still owed on the Zamboni machine.

If the city were to sell the facility, Molino said in a report, the sale price might only be four or five times current revenue, or between $300,000 and $400,000.

That's just a guess at this point. If the city were to get serious about selling the arena, a request for proposal would need to be written and an appraisal done -- a process that would cost the city thousands of dollars.

That cost scared off some council members from supporting the RFP process and by consensus, the council went along with a suggestion by Molino that the city generate a request for interest statement and float it around to potential buyers -- just to see if there is a market for the facility.

"It’s not every day that an ice rink goes on the market that’s 30 years old in a rural market like this," Molino said.

City Attorney George Van Nest also cautioned council members that finding a buyer could be difficult.

"There are going to be several strings attached, which is going to make it less attractive to a purchaser," Van Nest said.

Councilman Frank Ferrando said the currant arrangement with Firland seems to be working out well and from what he hears, hockey and ice skating are "booming" at Falleti.

"We need more booming kind of things happening in Batavia," Ferrando said. "I would hate to see us lose that just because we want to get rid of (the building)."

The PW-A Batavia Ramparts hockey team recently won the Batavia Winter Classic Tournament at the Falleti Ice Arena. The Ramparts were guaranteed to play 3 games in the tournament and were able to advance to the championship game by getting the top seed in the round robin play.

They defeated Monroe County 1-0, the Rochester Sabres 6-5 and the Buffalo Hornets 5-0. They were victorious in the championship game 6-4 against the Rochester Sabres.

Tyler Andrews had 2 hat-tricks in the tournament and goaltender Connor Hamilton recorded 2 shutouts.

Hamilton, Andrews and Aaron Feary received player of the game honors throughout the tournament for Batavia.

FULL HOUSE: A packed house at the Falleti Ice Arena is just one of many times it fills the bleachers for events each year.

In this tough economy, getting people to spend money may be a hard thing to come about, as they are looking to cut back on expenses. This weekend at the Falleti Ice Arena, it showed that one area people didn't cut back on was youth sports and hockey tournaments. This weekend the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association (GAHA), hosted the Batavia Winter Classic Tournament and the turnout was one that had a positive effect on Batavia and Genesee County.

The tournament ran from Friday through Sunday and brought in teams from Buffalo, Rochester and Oswego in the Pee Wee A and B divisions, which is the age group for kids ages 11 and 12. There were a total of 8 teams that were in the tournament including two of the Batavia teams.

The City of Batavia might sell Falleti Ice Arena. Then, again, maybe not.

The City Council instructed City Attorney George Van Nest on Monday night to prepare an RFP (request for proposal) that would allow private investors to bid on the property, but council members also expressed some skepticism that in the current environment, any investors who would offer a realistic price could be found.

"In the current credit crunch, the chances are that any RFP is going to bring in bids in the low end," said Councilwoman Marianne Clattenburg.

But council members Bill Cox and Frank Ferrando protested that the city doesn't have any business being in business and that the ice arena should be privately owned.

Issuing an RFP doesn't guarantee the city will sell the facility.  Some minimum requirements would need to be met by the successful bidding, including a minimum price.