Tonight at the Hamburg High School, Jeff Walker, Dave Andreychuck and the Hamburg Town Council held an informational meeting detailing the proposed new Ice Arena and proposed Field house project. About 150 -200 people sat in attendance while the initial proposal was detailed to the public.
Walker was very convincing and even former Council Member Dick Smith said he was convinced and persuaded by Walkers arguments. Smith also proclaimed his only concern was the State Alienation of Town Parkland. I felt that was significant because a leading democrat was apparently getting onboard with the project. More demoncrats may follow his lead.
Walkers arguments included how small the current facility is and how unfair it is for our youngsters to travel around WNY at 5am to get ice time. According to Walker, the need for early hockey practices will end when this facility is built. “Their will be plenty of ice time for everyone” claimed Walker. He also announced that the School Federation that controls High School Hockey has verbally agreed to use this new facility as its main ice rink facility.
Of course he played on a lot of emotions in his argument and he showed pictures of the current dilapidated ice rink facility to build on his plan. Jeff was at his best tonight and I applaud him for his style and temperament in the face of some harsh criticism that came soon after his presentation.
Dave Adreychuck was also there and he spoke very little. Dave talked about the fact he has this same plan in place in two or three other cities around southern Canada and the Southern USA.
The options Dave and Jeff put out were;
1.) Continue with a single rink that is falling apart and hope for the best.
2.) invest 2-3 million bucks from the town to bring the current facility up to barely a usable standard and continue to lose $150k+ a year.
3.) Get onboard this project and get a brand new facility with very little risk involved.
That risk was the topic of most of the questions and discussion by the Town Supervisor Steven Walters. Walters wouldn’t go into great detail but he did say that the town wouldn’t be co-signing any loan for this project. He also said that the town wouldn’t build this facility and then just hand it over to Walker and Andreychuck either.
In the end I think more people were confused as to how this Ice Facility would be financed. I sure was and no answers were coming as of yet. Walters did announce that their would be another meeting like tonight to discuss the particulars of the financing. He further announced that what ice time costs a Hamburg resident today is what it will cost the Hamburg residents under the new management.
I spoke, as did almost all the Recreation Advisory Board. I simply wanted the Town Council to get their due for thinking outside the box and trying to get some new development in Hamburg. The rest of the Advisory Board obviously wants to burn this project to the ground. Politics A Play!
The bottom line is this folks. This project is going forward. The most that you or I can hope to do is get it to a referendum. All the rest is smoke and mirrors!
Was there any discussion on the summer programs held at the Nike Base, like roller/floor hockey? Will those summer programs still be held under this propsed plan? I’ve played summer floor/roller hockey there for over 10 years and I’d hate to see that get cut or offered at substantially higher rates due to the privatization of a public facility.
I will hold judgement for now. Of course it sounds good to have a first class sports complex in Town.
What is missing is what you spoke about, and that is the financing. I do not want to see a development plan simply for the sake of development that would put the taxpayers on the line for any risk.
As I said, the idea of a brand new facility sounds wonderful, but as my father used to tell me, “if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is”. I will reserve judgement for now.
Sounds like Hamburg is moving forward. Who knows what could follow. With some vision & luck Hamburg could become the next Town to have its own Thruway exit and a new motel for travel hockey; even something to attract out of towners like a water park…
Great dog and pony show, kids with jerseys on, HMHA in full regalia, Sabre hall of famer with his Riverside Mens’ dress, Hamburg’s finest in tow—all that was missing was the popcorn sale at the HHS aud.
Walker strolled thru his powerpoint pres like a slick salesman unleashed.
Thank God for Christmas concerts otherwise Holmes would have had 200 ankle-biting pucksters whining to their mothers for an evening snack before bedtime while Walker is still at the podium.
No place for the youth but an opportune time for Walker and Leaping sports mgmt team to ride the emotional wave.
Some good questions raised by the public concerning privatizing park land (remember, this is the Nike Base and God knows what lies beneath the soil), what about costs of ice time, double the pad-double the loss to the town (currently $120,000 yrly) and of course who pays for and all the rec programs affected if Walker and his disciples reneg on the deal of 10-11mill.
You can tell Supe Walters wants to push this thru like a battering ram, and as quick as possible to preserve his legacy amnd be a part of something big. I admire the guts he has.
Too many ?s still exist especially about the foundation of a solid hockey program as main tenant and the people who will manage the rink 12 mos a yr.
Kept hearing about players who have left because of all the travel to games/practices outside the base. It’s not the travel, it’s a fact they left because of the incompetent leadership.
Never mind the 900 kids currently playing in this delapidated tin can–what about the 400 youths who left?
They go to better orgs and never look back.
To bring them “home” is to bring in new blood.
Ready for round 2?
A very important question I have is how this facility is going to be run by an inexperienced man who can not even hold down a job and has been FIRED by every employer he has ever had. Also, an assistant manager of a Taco Bell has more management experience than this Walker fool claims to have.
the biggest question is how or who is going to pay for this magnitude of a project, the town, Jeff Walker and his group that should be the only thing to worry about, once we find out the details the better we are, belive me i am so looking toward a second sheet of ice if it happens it will be a bonus for the kids (parents) who have to drive to gods country for ice time and thank god we can fially get rid of the weekend 6am ice times
6 am ice will always be around. Premium ice will go to the preferred groups. This could be the high schools or the travel teams. House kids and probably some travel will still be at 6am. If you ever played at HMHA, you know that Leisure Rinks had 6 am slots as well. So the argument of those times being eliminated because of a second sheet are false. Ice rinks are idle more hours during the week than they are active. The kids who left did so because of HMHA. Nobody ever left because the rink is a poor one. In fact it is better than most rinks in the area. But then again, most people have no clue what actually goes on because only a small minority of the citizens will use this facility. I would admit I am skeptical about the project. To make money ice costs will have to increase. Then again, if it was such a great idea why do they need the help of the town?
Trust me, there will still be plenty of 6 am ice times even with 2 rinks. Walker believes he can sheet 96 fed games along with the monopoly of travel and whatever is left for girls and lest we forget–oh yeah– the 700 kids who embody this recreation program, the house league. God Speed on that pipe dream.
The hidden cash cow in all this hockey hoopla is the multisport indoor turf. I would love to manage and program that part of this proposed facility.
It would rock from 8 am till 2 am.
hmmm, Sounds like you know this so called fool pretty well. So that would mean you are friends with him.
I recently had an e-mail from someone who didn’t think the association of the RAB and politics was proper. After thinking about it for a while i think he may be correct. The members of the RAB all have valid concerns and they are simply voicing them. They were however, appointed by a Democratic Town Council and they do mimic the Democratic points of view on this ice rink expansion plan. Is it politics or not? Who can tell?
Me thinks Mr. Hmmmmm would be wrong about knowing Walker, just having a business venture with him that never panned out.
Like anything else related to rec and the RAB, we’re talking Hamburg. Is there anything not under the myopian microscope not politically fueled?
gary very good point i now when i ran a floor hockey and roller hockey program there was always people looking to rent the floor, just look at what is out there base ball,softball,indoor flag football, soccer, lacross, there is an amasing cash cow out there parent and kids are alway looking for a sport to do this thing could be huge, and just think the rec dept could have a field day with this, if it ever goes through i would love to do the same have a part in setting things up this is something i have been dreaming about for years but never had the people or money to get started,
Walker’s management experience is shaky.
He’s done virtually nothing involving supervision of employees like the type of folks who would be working at the ice arena.
He once managed a movie rental joint. He’s been fired or left every other job he’s had over the past 7-8 years.
I’d rather have Denecke, Wenzel, Herman and Sullivan running things than this clown. He seems like a nice guy but I think he’s overwhelemed.
it will be intresting to see how this plays out, good management or bad doesnt matter as long as he has a good cast of people around him that know what it takes to make it work
what no comments about this in a couple days and i have been a way on vacation so i havent heard any new gossip