By John Spiering

Are we supposed to trust that once the ice is melted at the Culver City Ice Arena, the owner will do the right thing and only entertain offers for ice rink tenants?  This, after he shopped and happily  accepted Planet Granite as a new lessee 2½ months ago?

Once the ice is gone, it certainly will be easier to just say, “oh, well.”

I feel we have been manipulated from the beginning.
 
Why can't we ever get full disclosure about the owner's plans?
Michel Karagozian, please share the following with us so we can all stop speculating and bickering between the fractured parties involved:

Full Disclosure –Please issue a press release today with your immediate plans for this property and the future of the ice rink

1) How much was the lease increased that led to all of this? 
(We were all told it had been doubled.)

2) How much did the Kings offer that you scoffed at?? 
(This will really be interesting, I have a feeling.)

3) Who are you currently negotiating with to take over the rink? (Your lawyer says several parties. Wouldn't going public with these parties only help your negotiations? Why so secretive?)

4)Is the rink up for sale? Each day this story changes. Yesterday it was for $20 million?  Now you are looking to lease it again?

5)Why are you really melting the ice? Are you going to fix all of the city’s concerns? What is your timetable? What is yout to-do list for this?

These are reasonable requests. You may continue to ignore them and me, and delete these posts. But these are valid questions thousands are asking until you address them?

Your lawyer has been trying to discredit me with not having all the facts. Guess what? No one else seems to have the facts, either. They change every day.

If I own a property, it is ultimately up to me to maintain its facilities pertaining to the real estate, hazards, codes and other conditions. 

The rink obviously had been allowed to operate under the radar, without upkeep, for years. Now the owner has the responsibility to make it right. That is the problem now. He doesn’t want to. He would rather  take the easy way out.

Improvements only will increase his property value. John Jackson, the previous lessee, was just an operator. He also bears responsibility. But he has paid the price, losing it as a business.

Now your lawyer turn this page and tell the owner to issue a press release with his immediate plans so we can all stop speculating.  This will not go away.

Mr. Spiering may be contacted at spier11@yahoo.com