Opinion: S. Tahoe ice rink deal full of cracks

To the community,

On May 1, I addressed the City Council. I said to the council that the city manager had screwed up the ice rink contract. The city manager took exception to my statement. But the facts support what I said. Examples are many.

The first contract was trashed because it violated federal tax laws. Presently, the rink is operating under a contract that expired on Feb. 1. On May 1, the city manager pressed the council to accept a new contract that would be for 20 years. The council rejected the deal because the contractor has not presented a business plan to the council. And the contractor has not shown any capital improvement money up front. An argument was made by Councilmember [Tom] Davis that the contractor needs a 20-year deal to carry to a bank to borrow money.

Bill Crawford

Davis’ argument suggested that the contractor isn’t rolling in dough, doesn’t have the necessary finances to operate under a 10-year contract that the council would support. The argument is fallacious. If a borrower can show a bank character, capital and capacity, borrowing shouldn’t be a problem.

Bottom line is the council sent the request for a 20-year deal back to staff. The city manager lost the argument after he made a loud contentious statement for the contractor that revealed just how impetuous he is; a character flaw for sure.

Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe

PS: Where will they put the second sheet of ice? The county owns the nearby land.