The City's Lafayette Ice Rink on Tacoma Avenue will be getting nearly $200,000 in city-funded capital improvements according to a statement by Mayor Byron W. Brown.
The money will go toward the first significant infrastructure improvements to the sports facility since it was opened in 1989. In accordance with the mayor's 2009 Capital Budget recommendations to the Common Council, improvements would include $168,000 for the installation of new ice rink dasher boards and protective glass in the Lafayette Rink.
Earlier this year, the Mayor announced that the city would provide $20,000 in capital funds for the construction of a new Zamboni cement pad and drainage system, which ensured that no dirt would be tracked onto the rink’s ice surface that typically caused delays in rink cleaning and ice time for hockey teams renting the rink.
“These capital budget funds – both the $20,000 allocated earlier this year and the proposed $168,000 appropriation – mark the first significant infrastructure improvements made to the Lafayette Rink since it opened 19 years ago,” said Mayor Brown. “This is a vital recreational facility for North Buffalo and I’m pleased that the Citizens Planning Council agreed that this is a worthy project to fund through the capital budget process. Our residents’ quality of life is a priority of my Administration and this is an important athletic facility that provides thousands of our city’s residents the opportunity to skate, play hockey and stay active.”
The Mayor was joined by Don Morris, president of the North Buffalo Community Center and its executive director, Debbie Cielencki (both pictured with him, above). The North Buffalo Community Center is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the ice rink.