Adelaide Ice Arena will close without multi-million-dollar cash injection from tenant, owner says
THOUSANDS of figure skating and ice hockey lovers are facing a future without an ice rink in Adelaide if a spat over remedial work is not resolved shortly.
DECADES of neglect threatens the closure of Adelaide’s Ice Arena, with the owner describing the once pristine rink as “dirty and unhygenic”.
With his investment skating on thin ice, property developer David Lee claims only an injection of cash, up to $3 million, will keep the Thebarton arena afloat.
Mr Lee, who bought the 5679sqm building two years ago, told the The Advertiser he may be forced to shut the facility by early 2020 when the current lease to the SA Ice Sport Federation (SAISF) expires.
“I am very upset about the state of the ice arena, nothing has been done for years. There is no TLC,” said Mr Lee who also owns the luxury CBD Rowlands Apartments.
“A lot of people of my age will have childhood memories. They are reluctant to come here now because they see how dirty and unhygienic it is.”
When contacted by The Advertiser for comment, lawyers for the SA Ice Sports Federation Inc denied that the Federation had acted improperly, and said that “the responsibility for the structural integrity and building works is and remains the sole responsibility of the owner, David Lee”.
The arena, which attracts up to 100,000 skaters a year, made headlines earlier this year when a pipe leak under the ice forced the closure of the man rink.
The State Government came to the rescue with a repair grant of $1,070,000.
A visit by The Advertiser showed the arena to be in a shabby state with mould around the main rink and toilets badly neglected.
Mr Lee estimates he has spent $150,000 on upkeep, including almost $50,000 to determine the extent of the April leak.
Treasurer Tom Koutsantonis confirmed the grant was provided purely to buy new plant and equipment to reinstate and upgrade the arena’s ice surfaces.
“It was not made available for a broader redevelopment of the building which the owner would be well aware of,” he said. “This is an important community facility.”
Mr Lee says a lack of co-operation from the SAISF, which he says is obligated to carry out a positive upkeep, is undermining the future of the ice rink.
An agreement by SAISF to paint walls and upgrade toilets at the arena should have been completed by now, said Mr Lee.
Mr Lee, who said action must be taken immediately, is keen to negotiate a new lease with a third party, whether the government or private, and restore the arena to former glories.
“It will cost $25 to $30 million to build somewhere new, a ridiculous amount of money. It’s better to spend $2 to $3 million now and clean it up.”
The Government has closed their eyes to years of decay, he said.
SAISF has received $150,000 in funding from the Office for Recreation and Sport since 2002.
“The building is running down. If I have no other choice, I will have to knock it down,” Mr Lee said.
Calls by The Advertiser to three members of the SAISF board were not returned last week.