The city has made some immediate improvements to the Civic Center.
LEWISTON – So far, the changes at the Central Maine Civic Center have been subtle.
Doors that had been left unlocked for years now sport new deadbolts.
Slick, printed signs point the way to bathrooms, the tavern and press box, replacing handmade posters.
Ushers for the Lewiston Maineiacs hockey team now wear professional-looking gray blazers, instead of casual sweaters.
“The point is not to overwhelm people, to make them realize that there has been a change in ownership,” said Phil Nadeau, assistant city administrator and acting manager of the civic center.
His goal was to put some professional polish on the city’s newest property, Nadeau said.
“The big changes, those will be the next manager’s job,” he said.
The city officially assumed ownership of the Civic Center a little more than a week ago, agreeing to take on $4.2 million in debt and management of the center. That includes day-to-day operations and repairs.
Those repairs, and team complaints about management of the ice arena, got the city involved late last year. Fearing the team would leave after only one year in Lewiston, city officials created a limited liability corporation to run the center.
Can you hear me now?
Nadeau has been acting manager since December, when the city first got involved. Right away, city crews moved in to pave wheelchair ramps for handicapped spectators and to replace the cramped management trailer with a double-wide one.
“That was an incremental change, far from permanent, but it was a bit of an improvement,” Nadeau said.
Most of the changes since then have been small. Nadeau had locks installed on doors to the concession stand, equipment lockers and tavern.
“Anyone could go in anywhere they wanted, at any time,” he said. That was fine for a family-owned ice rink, but not for a city-owned professional sports venue.
The city also built curtains over the entrances for visiting teams and referees to shield them from the crowd. Game ushers debuted the dressier gray blazers at the Feb. 8 Maineiacs game against Shawinigan.
“Then, I discovered I didn’t know where anybody was,” Nadeau said.
The next day, he invested in 10 walkie-talkies for the ushers, and he plans to get at least four more.
There have been problems. The city had hoped to soften the blow of paying for parking with complimentary popcorn. Spectators who paid the $3 fee to park in the center’s lot would get a receipt valid for a $2 box of popcorn during the game.
“Then we found out the popcorn machine was broken, so we couldn’t do that,” said City Administrator Jim Bennett. “We had to put that idea on hold while we get a new popcorn maker.”
‘A higher standard’
Nadeau can point out other problems. The concrete floors need paint, as do the catwalks over the ice. Some doors need to be replaced, and others need repairs. Nadeau said he expects to begin working on designs for a new entrance soon, with real offices and a permanent pro shop.
“We can’t wait for the new manager to start,” Nadeau said. “That’s an important project, and it’s going to take some time.”
Bennett said he expects the city to begin advertising for a permanent manager next week. The job would start sometime during the summer.
One hurdle for the center remains attendance at Maineiacs games. According to the contract, the team could pay its way out of the lease next year if attendance doesn’t top 2,500 people per game for 22 games in a row. The team could walk away free of obligation in 2006 if it fails at that goal for two years.
Average game attendance this season has been 1,900, according to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. But team Marketing Director Rob Mainville said he doesn’t believe attendance will be an issue.
“We wouldn’t be involved here if we didn’t think that was possible,” he said.
Nadeau said the city will continue doing its part to make the deal a success.
“The only way we can do that is by providing a high quality experience, keeping the operation that people are used to but raising the level of quality,” he said. “We expect a higher standard now.”
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