[img]1792|right|Jim Clarke||no_popup[/img]City Councilman Jim Clarke, a candidate for re-election in 48 days, scotched rumors he was helping to raise funds in defense of the Culver City Ice Arena, “but I did make a suggestion” to ice skating families, he said.
With 15,000 persons having signed a desperate petition to keep the darkened rink open, “here was an opportunity to use that as an occasion to raise money, whether for effectuating repairs or if they were looking for a different location for the ice rink,” Mr. Clarke said.
“I mentioned that I am a member of St. Augustine’s Church. They built a new Parish Hall. They went out and got a loan, and all of us in the congregation contributed to the project. That is how we got it built.”
Next up, AEG
And then Mr. Clarke became the latest to breathe life into recurring reports that entertainment giant AEG, owner of the Kings, is likely to be the next tenant of the Ice Arena.
He said American Skating, identified as AEG’s partner, has made an offer to landlord Michael Karagozian, but has not heard back from him.
“Some people might object to the fact – if AEG is going to come in – why should the public be underwriting a large corporation like AEG?” Mr. Clarke asked. “That is true. But it might also make the difference if AEG knew a number of people were willing to put up a considerable amount of money.
“There are going to be repairs that will be needed just to keep the place open. Some things have been identified besides leaks and missing valves. There is no real ventilation in there at all. That is a concern not only for ammonia but also carbon monoxide.
“When the ice rink was built, it was not done in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. I don’t know if things have to be done there, too,” said Mr. Clarke.
“A considerable amount of cost is going to have to be done just to get the arena back to where it can be safely opened.”
Foot on Accelerator?
Would Mr. Clarke agree with characterizing the city’s handling of the Ice Arena heavy-handed?
“No,” he said. “Once we determined there was a credible public safety risk, it was incumbent on the city to do everything possible to insure the public safety.”
Would Mr. Clarke agree the entire matter has been handled by City Hall the opposite of transparently?
In defense of his colleagues, the Councilman said City Hall “came to the conclusion that this, sort of, drip, drip, drip of information was not benefiting anybody. It was, ‘let’s put the full cards on the table and let everybody speak for themselves,’ is what we are talking about here.
“So I don’t think it was necessarily heavy-handed. They were trying to see if they could get some agreement with the property owner and the operator and whatever to take on responsibility.
“Once you have spread it all over the newspaper, it becomes a colossal public issue. People start hardening their positions.”
