Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter Sports will take over Ottawa Park Ice Rink operations this year but park operators say there is not enough time to make ice for this weekend’s tree lighting event.
By a unanimous vote, council approved a 30-year lease arrangement with Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter Sports on Tuesday. The proposal allows the Sylvania-based organization to oversee day-to-day rink operations, expand programming, and invest in capital improvements. An amendment to the agreement also allows Toledo officials to review and approve the agreement every five years.
For this Sunday’s holiday tree lighting event scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m., the ice rink will be used for outdoor karaoke and holiday movies instead of free ice skating, said Joe Fausnaugh, director of parks, recreation and youth services.
The inability to make ice for the event, which organizers hoped would happen, did not hinge on the proposal but rather the weather, which is too balmy to make ice, he said. Rink operators plan to open the rink for ice skating on Dec. 17.
“We hoped that we could make that happen, but it’s kind of raining and on the edge of being too warm,” he said on Wednesday.
Mr. Fausnaugh pushed for the proposal and is thankful for full council support for the plan.
“I didn’t expect it to be a unanimous vote and the fact that it was means that we spent a lot of time talking and sharing the benefits of this proposal,” Mr. Fasnaugh said. “I think we all just came to the same conclusion that it’s going to be a benefit to our residents.”
With the proposed agreement, Toledo will split the net profits with Tam-O-Shanter, with their share being reinvested into the rink for capital improvements. Currently, the rink does not turn a profit, and in fact, it costs Toledo between $58,000 and $71,000 annually to operate, but Tam-O-Shanter officials believe there is potential to make money. At a previous meeting, Mike Mankowski, hockey director at Tam-O-Shanter, said programming will be expanded and open skate hours will be maintained.
In addition to approving the Ottawa Ice Rink proposal, Toledo City Council discussed several financial items, including a proposal that called for using proceeds from a quarter-percent income tax voters approved two years ago for street improvements to help pay for new office space for staff in the Division of Engineering and Construction Management. Councilman Katie Moline requested sending the issue back to the administration to be amended.
“We should not be using the road tax improvement funds on this and I urge the administration to correct this and send it back to council so that we can have an honest discussion on this ordinance,” Ms. Moline said.
In addition, she asked that the administration provide a list of projects supported thus far by the road tax revenue and an accounting of the $440,000, which was appropriated in 2020 when the engineering division was planning to move into the former Greyhound bus station. And she asked for an update on the number of staff working in the division’s current office and information regarding any available office space at One Government Center.
A proposal to allocate $75,000 to fund consulting services to prepare for the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, also came into question. According to Ms. Moline, the cost of those services has increased substantially from 2019 when the city spent $25,500. In 2020, the city spent $40,000.
“I’m curious why there is a $35,000 increase for that engagement,” she said, adding that a list of the scope of services proposed this year, as well as the scope of services the city received in previous years should be provided to council.
First Published December 7, 2022, 8:47 p.m.
