Angelenos fight to save an ice rink, as rising land values threaten quality of life.
The beloved Culver Ice Arena is closing because it cannot afford a new market rent.
This show explores the fight to save the rink, and what its demise says about the changing character of Los Angeles, as buildings — and land values — rise and rise. With councilmembers Micheal O’Leary and Andrew Weissman, Calarts professor Norman Klein, Shannon Takahashi of Culver Ice Arena, and users and supporters of the rink. Renee DeAngelis, owner of Planet Granite, responds.
Note: The arena is scheduled to close Sunday, February 2 and after that the new leasees will perform various tests on the ground before embarking on decommissioning the rink. Rink supporters are holding out hope that this will produce findings that deter Planite Granite, though ice rinks experts argue this is unlikely. But supporters are also hoping that perhaps the new tenants and the Arena could find a way to share the site.
The Culver City council will hold its last public hearing about the rink tonight, Monday, January 27, at the Culver City Hall; Planite Granite says it “will present its response to community concerns” at the meeting (agenda here; Planet Granite spokespeople are expected to speak in the public comment period that commences near the top of the 7:00PM meeting).
Read more about community feeling about the Culver Ice Arena, here. Read about the origins of the “Sweetheart of the Ice,” here. And read Erika Schickel’s eloquent description of the arena, here.