The founder of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) is expected to appear at a closed-door meeting with community stakeholders March 2 to discuss the long delayed project.
Kevin Parker, founder of KNIC, has been a mere no-show at community meetings since the city announced his project would be housed in the cavernous Kingsbridge Armory, which has been vacant since the 1990s. Mark Messier, the NHL legend and face of the project, serves as president of the KNIC and has made the rounds since the project was approved nearly five years ago.
His appearance was confirmed by Senator Gustavo Rivera’s office, which arranged for the meeting. The meeting will involve official signatories of the Community Benefits Agreement worked out between community representatives and KNIC. Members of the KNIC Community Advisory Council are also expected. “The goal of the meeting is for the developer to report the appointed community representatives on the progress, and vice-versa,” said Annalicia Finol, Rivera’s chief of staff.
For the last year, KNIC representatives have remained quiet on the project’s advancement. It was in April 2013 that the city under Mayor Mike Bloomberg had announced the long vacant Armory would be home to nine ice skating rinks and 5,000-seat arena. Roughly 50,000 square feet has been allocated for community space.
Parker, a former Wall Streeter employed by Deutsche Bank, is a hockey enthusiast. The project has been well-received by elected officials, notably Rivera and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
The Armory project has been plagued with delays attributed to a yearlong lawsuit that was the result of the project’s financing and internal squabbles. It was approved for a $138 million state loan in November last year, clearing them to seek a construction loan, which will then lead the New York City Economic Development Corporation to formally activate the 99-year lease to the city-owned property. It’s unclear whether they’ve secured it. Work on city-owned land.
It’s unclear where the meeting is taking place.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.
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What a mess it was such a great idea
I will left the Bronx in 1972 I was kid I move to a town called Stratford Connecticut
Famous for the Shakespeare Theatre beautiful theater it had Shakespeare plays and rock ‘n’ roll concerts in the 70s and 80s but by the time the 90s came they closed its doors it’s a beautiful building sits on the banks of the Housatonic River beautiful park surrounding. through the years companies have tried to rebuild but the failed the state to go over and let a company try to rebuild it they said they had the funding oh well they didn’t but they started before the seats out all the carpeting out spending money on stupid shit instead of making sure though if you want to go he plumbing is up-to-date which it wasn’t They ran out of money ! The state that it sit there for a few more years then they finally gave it back to the town of Strafford they don’t have the money either to fix it up ! So there it sits for the last 25 years vacant and the weather deteriorating it on a daily basis they did repair of the roof so water won’t leak in but that about it but the Town citizens could help clean it up please used 20. 30 yard dumpsters to clean the inside and out side of the theater so that’s a good thing !
I hope the Kingsbridge armory doesn’t fall into the same category !