United Skates of America?

Why is the town in the business of running an ice rink? The Clary Arena lost over $128K in its last 6 month season, and you can expect with increasing energy costs the loss will continue to climb. There are likely a number of factors that cause this loss (i.e. operational inefficiency, low utilization, and subsidized pricing)

The taxpayers in Montclair are subsidizing a small portion of the community that uses the facility. Privatize it. Or maybe the 1,000 people who signed the petition can each donate $128 per year to get the arena to breakeven.

I'm sure all 1,000 of those people are just thrilled with their recent estimated tax bills. All you hear around here is how this town is addicted to spending money. And we're all fed up. So now, we're getting sentimental about having the town run a money leaking operation at an arena? Where do these people want the savings to come from? Privatizing is a good move. Hope it works out.

Traditionally the taxes were lower.....hold on to that tradition!

My hockey team tried many times to rent ice time for practices at Clary Anderson Arena. The person there who handles this responsibility was never there or would never call back.
Perhaps this might be why they had such a hard time breaking even?

With privatization comes profit motive and usually improved service. I look forward to it.

If yu lookat the usage summary of the rink, 27%of the schedule time is for MHS team and boosters, another 11%for MKA, and another 14.5% for Nutley, Verona and Jr. Mounties. So,over 50% toward just school teams? Let them pay for it. I'm tired of this Town's fealty to kids' sports.

As a Montclair taxpayer looking at a huge tax increase this year, I have zero interest in subsidizing the operating losses ($128K in six months!) of Clary Anderson. We'll soon be gagging on the operating expenses for the new $35MM school + new field house + next year's teachers union contracts!

If we can privatize and stop the losses at Clary Anderson, and maybe even make some income, I'm all for it.

Since we are getting proposals from the same experienced companies that operate Cody and Floyd arenas, I bet they will improve the Clary Arena and serve more people in the community.

Clary is pretty decrepit now. I guess some folks must be getting a sweet deal, because I don't understand the concern on privatizing, especially with all the protections in the RFP for the Town, the schedule, workers, etc.

The motive, said Joseph Hart nett, Montclair's township manager, was the state's 3.5 percent cap on increases in expenditures in the face of surging pension, debt service and utility costs.

"It's really just getting the arena off our books," he said at that June hearing. "This is the deck of cards we've been dealt."

....e.g. if Montclair gets the arena off its books they can spend the 3.5% increase on other things. Or, how about we use the savings to reduce taxes....a novel idea!

The United Skates of America in Woodbridge is amazing. Very clean, well run, and only $7.00 to skate there. I say it's time to privatize.

Is the Arena still used by the Recreation dept summer day camp?
Will it still be able to be used for this after the operation of the Arena is outsourced to a private company?used fr this after

Is the Arena still used by the Recreation dept summer day camp?
Will it still be able to be used for this after the operation of the Arena is outsourced to a private company?used fr this after

There is an old adage.....don't believe everything you read in the newspaper. Just because Joe Hartnett says the rink loses money, don't trust what he says. The rink grossed $389,000 last year for the town, and that's with MHS paying $0 towards their $80,000 ice bill. Estimates have come in saying that the rink and the pools actually turn a small profit for the town after expenses......Joe Hartnett is telling a mis-truth, plain and simple. He has wanted this town entity privatized 2 years ago by his friends at United Skates of America in Woodbridge where he lived for most of his life. Clary Anderson could run on it's own if made to be a non-profit or it's own authority with the pools. The problem is that the town has never upgraded the facility while reaping the gross receipts of the building for the past 20 years. Do not believe anything Joe Hartnett says.......