Tonawanda, NY (WBEN) The Town of Tonawanda is looking to breathe new life into its two parks. Plans are in place to convert Lincoln Park's arena into a fieldhouse and bring the Brighton Ice Arena up to date.
Councilmember Carl Szarek says the Brighton Ice Arena has outlived its usefulness. He says he's looking at a state of the art ice rink to be open year round. "This would be accessible for handicapped folks, not just for hockey, but for figure skating or handicap skating, bringing in different sectors of the population senior skating during the day," says Szarek,
Szarek says that's not all for Brighton Park. "We're looking at a splash pad, and that's a splash pad like you see in some parks on a real water feature that would be like a destination that that people would travel to," says Szarek. He adds there would be at least two new beach volleyball courts, with lights so you can play in the evening, plus pickleball courts, which says is big among seniors. "The park will be a destination for anyone in Tonawanda or Buffalo or Amherst.
Another change is coming with Lincoln Park's arena. "Lincoln Park Arena, which holds a skating rink, will be turned into a Fieldhouse. So we have baseball and soccer in the middle of the winter. So, baseball practice in the spring inside, soccer for the younger kids, and just the field house that anybody could use," says Szarek.
A similar project was introduced in 2019, but was scuttled it after costs shot up from $8 million to $13 million. "It'll bring our residents out, and we found this after COVID, that people are looking for some healthy alternatives and looking for activities for young people. So not along not only with the ice rink, but the other enhancements we have there," says Szarek. He believes that's why it's selling this time. He says the price at $14 million includes more than just an ice rink.
Public hearings will be scheduled in the next few weeks.