Tomorrow is the five-month anniversary of what was intended to be the temporary closure of the venerable Culver City Ice Arena.
A longtime lessee’s agreement expired on the first Sunday night in February, only to be followed by enough tart recriminations to overflow two more sequels to the “Godfather” franchise.
The only savings to owner Michael Karagozian has been in his electric bill, which is zero this summer.
“Everything is at a standstill with the ice rink,” Mr. Karagozian told the newspaper this afternoon from his Fresno law offices.
“We can’t be in a rush on the property. I would like to be doing something. But this is the way it is,”
The steamiest rumor through the winter and early spring was that the soon-to-be Stanley Cup champion Kings were practically drooling on the Culver City ice. A deal evidently never came close to materializing.
“We are in no hurry,” said Mr. Karagozian, the main voice for his family, including his son and brother.
Of the Kings’ putative interest, he said: “I don’t know if those guys ever were serious. I couldn’t figure them out.
“I don’t think they even are interested any more.
“As a landlord,” said Mr. Karagozian, “of course I would like to be getting some income off the place.
“We’re in no hurry on that,” he assured.
He won’t hail the next person driving down Sepulveda Boulevard.
“When I do a deal, it is going to be for a long time,” Mr. Karagozian said. “Anything we do has to be right this time because you remember what happened last winter.”
A Bay Area network of recreation stores signed an agreement last Dec. 23 to retool the ice arena and open June 1. Within two months, the deal blew up. That was followed by another false start intertwined around a stormy legal waltz with the city.
All of that is why “the next time the deal has to be right,” Mr. Karagozian said.
