CW Powers – Council Mtg G&W 2/11/2019 – (Verbatim)  Keeping Promises

In September 2010 former Manager Broughton signed an application to Bergen County’s Open Space program to restore Teaneck’s roller hockey rink – he told the County how important and unique the rink was to the town’s recreation program. Unanimous Council resolutions twice supported this County funding request. Four years later (2014) town engineer David Hals, certified the rink restoration project as complete and submitted the invoice to recover half of the restoration cost. In each case Teaneck officials promised to maintain the renovated rink in its current use for a substantial time. Depending on which of the relevant Town/County contract and program documents you choose, the Township had either committed to preserving the roller hockey until November 2024 or  ”in perpetuity”.

Now here is the problem. Teaneck has within just the past 3 months also signed a contract to have that hockey rink demolished and its space replaced with a huge pavilion – to start when? This coming Spring not 2024!
Some in Teaneck have apparently long had other designs on the roller hockey rink’s space at Votee! It’s three time no-bid contractor for Votee projects, Anthony Gianforcaro, even created a presentation with a 4300 sq. ft. rest room/concession facility all the way back in 2010 – just two months after Teaneck first applied to the County for open space funds for the rink. It remains unclear who asked Gianforcaro to create that presentation when his assignment then was to solve Votee drainage problems.

What we know is that 4 years later Mr. Gianforcaro – in 2014 – wrote that he had been asked (we do not know by who) to submit a proposal for that “pavilion over rink”. Unbelievably, he did so within a month of when Mr. Hals wrote to the County saying – “we’re done, we will follow the rules, send us the money.

As to Mr. Gianforcaro’s huge pavilion design? Council initially balked saying it wanted more designs options – but instead twice Mr. Gianforcaro was asked by someone to give that same 2010 rest room/concession presentation and in July 2016 he got the contract. Neither Council nor any advisory board nor the public heard anything FOR 18 MONTHS while Gianforcaro was changing the design and adding cost

10 days before the pavilion bids were to come in, the state Green Acres staff started emailing Teaneck officials that the Town had, before it began pavilion construction, to have a full public hearing to explain why and how it was changing the rink’s use.  Green Acres was ignored. Bids came in, 40% higher than Gianforcaro predicted – and Township Attorney Shahdanian began a struggle with Green Acres saying – without explanation – that no change of use hearing was required (the state-OPRA’d email Town/Green Acres exchange is on Teaneck Transparency.)

What now?  Is there a way out.? Most likely, the County will say, OK, then build a new rink! That would pop the real cost of the pavilion to about $2.2M– all just to get toilets and hot dogs for our athletes and their guests.