Taxpayers in Bristol Borough are expected to see a 15-percent reduction on their bill next year thanks to a deal made recently by council president Ralph DiGuiseppe. According to him, it was one of the best deals he’s ever negotiated.
During the council meeting on Monday, Aug. 10, DiGuiseppe announced (to much applause) that the Grundy Ice Arena is in the process of being sold for $4 million to Black Bear Sports Group, which operates Revolution Ice Gardens and Bucks County Ice in Warminster, among other arenas throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and surrounding states.
The sale began to take shape when DiGuiseppe met with Black Bear Sports Group CEO Murry Gunty, who came from Maryland earlier this month for a tour of the Grundy Ice Arena. Located at 475 Beaver St., the space has long been considered a financial burden on the borough.
“We discussed the issues that are concerning with the rink and we started a little negotiation talk at that point. This deal fell apart numerous times, but we put together what I know is probably the best deal for the taxpayers in this town and for this council,” he said. “There’s no financing contingency, there’s no due diligence period. They’re willing to close by the end of August. All of the employees will be retained by this new Black Bear Group, and they’re accepting the property as is, which we know at the moment needs $100,000 in two items that need to be repaired.”
These items include a chiller tower in Rink A for $70,000 and a compressor for $35,000.
Once a sale price was agreed upon, DiGuiseppe spent the next several days meeting with Gene Williams, executive director of the Grundy Foundation, which had a deed restriction on the property. The foundation’s board of directors voted unanimously to sell the rink and lift the restriction.
“We’re getting $4 million. We owe $3.7 million on the rink. The final payment was due in 2025. So, the taxpayers literally paid over $10 million so far for a facility that we don’t use. What [the sale] will do is give everybody in 2021 a tax savings of 15 percent,” DiGuiseppe said. “After the sale, we’re going to have roughly about $250,000.”
He recommended the council immediately take $100,000 from the sale and invest it into local recreation.
“What I’d like to do is give the basketball courts a complete facelift, redo the baseball fields that needed to be done this year. I would like to replace the bridge over Adams Hollow Creek on the path because someone already fell through there, it’s been blocked off,” DiGuiseppe said. “I’d also like to redo the path where all the tree roots are growing through and fix all the areas on the path that need attention.”
Additionally, he wants to dedicate a portion of the funds to ripping down a section of Elm Street. DiGuiseppe also hopes to meet with Bristol Borough school board vice president David Chichilitti to transform an empty piece of land on the district’s property for more recreation opportunities.
As DiGuiseppe wraps up his 19th year on the council, he said this negotiation is one of his proudest moments.
“The building has been a white elephant for the taxpayers of this town for a long time,” he explained.
In other news, it was requested by a resident and local business owner during the meeting that a drive-in movie theater be set up in town. A parking lot would be built behind the Lenox building, and a raft containing the screen would be placed in the water.
It was recommended by another resident that instead of completely canceling Historic Bristol Day in October, that a car and boat parade take place. Residents could enjoy some sense of normalcy and tradition, while practicing social distancing.
Regarding COVID-19, as of Aug. 10, Bristol Borough had 89 active and 84 recovered cases. Bucks County as a whole had 6,765 confirmed cases, 5,693 recoveries and 515 deaths.
From the local police department, it was announced that special training is underway. Officers participated in a Zoom discussion, “Walking While Black,” and will take a training course called “Dealing with Pressurized People,” which helps them with issues of de-escalation.
Also, they’re wrapping up the Buckley Street stabbing investigation, which took place on Monday, Aug. 3, at about 6 a.m. Two officers broke down a locked 6-foot stockade fence to gain access to a rear yard on the 200 block, where suspect Walter Vandoren Jr., 43, of Bristol Township, was armed with a knife on top of the 39-year-old victim. The officers stopped the assault and took the suspect into custody. Though the victim suffered multiple stab wounds, she was treated on scene by the Bucks County Emergency Squad, was transported to Jefferson Torresdale Trauma Center to undergo emergency surgery, and is now in stable condition. It was determined that Vandoren was the estranged husband of the victim, and he was charged with attempted criminal homicide, burglary and other offenses. He was arraigned before District Judge Frank J. Peranteau, bail was set at $1 million, and he has been transported to Bucks County Prison.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
