A deal that would allow Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter Sports to take over Ottawa Park ice rink operations remains unresolved.
During a city council meeting Tuesday, the council pulled back from voting on the resolution that would authorize the mayor to enter into a lease agreement with Tam-O-Shanter.
All the 10 present council members voted unanimously to refer the ordinance to the council’s Education, Recreation, and Employment Committee for further review.
There was no discussion. Councilmen Vanice Williams and Theresa Morris were absent.
The co-operative agreement would offer Tam-O-Shanter a 30-year lease arrangement including a five-year initial lease and optional five-year incremental lease arrangements for the next 25 years, at a cost of $5 per year. In return, Tam-O-Shanter would oversee day-to-day rink operations, expand programming, and invest in capital improvements.
The committee is to meet at 3 p.m. Monday in the council chambers at One Government Center to discuss the proposed ordinance.
Currently, the rink does not turn a profit and costs Toledo between $58,000 and $71,000 annually to operate. But under the proposed agreement, Tam-O-Shanter officials believe there is potential to make money, while also maintaining open skate hours.
Mike Mankowski, hockey director at Tam-O-Shanter, has said that would be done by adding new programming, including during times when the ice is not there.
The proposed agreement also calls for an arrangement in which the city of Toledo would split the net profits with Tam-O-Shanter, with their share being reinvested into the rink for capital improvements.
Initially, the city planned to open the rink on Dec 11 as part of a tree lighting ceremony, which would also include free skating to celebrate the kick-off of the holiday season.
In other business Tuesday, the council unanimously voted to authorize the appropriation and expenditure of no more than $3,722,078 from the local fiscal recovery fund to the Lucas County Land Bank for cleanup, demolition, and redevelopment of brownfield sites.
The city is the recipient of $180.9 million through the American Rescue Plan Act to address the public health and negative economic impact of the pandemic. The city recovery plan includes $6 million earmarked for brownfield sites cleanup, demolition, and redevelopment.
First Published November 23, 2022, 12:36 a.m.
