Supporters of roller hockey program urge Burbank City Council to keep rink going

The roller hockey rink in Ralph Foy Park has been a venue for children to learn a new sport and make friends. So, when word got out that the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department will close the facility at the end of this summer, supporters went to city officials in droves.

More than 100 people — youth players and their parents as well as adult players — packed the Burbank council chambers Thursday night and pleaded with the Parks and Recreation Board not to close the 19-year-old facility.

“There’s no words to describe this program,” said Donte Thorn, a resident who coaches teams for the local roller hockey league. “I just graduated from John Burroughs High School, and I’m going off to college to play Division I collegiate roller hockey and it’s because of this.”

The roller hockey league currently has 690 youth players and 2,320 adult players.

Marisa Garcia, assistant director for the Parks and Recreation Department, said the city is opting to end its agreement with the Community Sports Foundatio a year early because the city would not be able to repair and maintain the facility, which could lead to safety issues.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Thorn’s comments were followed by more than a dozen other youth players and adults who said that it would be a shame for the city to shut down a program that has grown rapidly over the past seven years.

“I’ve developed friendships, and I’ve developed business relationships that I would not have otherwise,” said resident Chris Paris. “I’ve brought my family in to play, my friends in to play and they’ve brought their friends in to play. This is really a family that we’ve created.”

Marisa Garcia, assistant director for the Parks and Recreation Department, said the city is opting to end its agreement with the Community Sports Foundation, which is run by Frank Dellasandro, a year early because the city would not be able to repair and maintain the facility, which could lead to safety issues.

“Staff had to make a really difficult decision to end the contract one year earlier than what was in our contract, which was set to expire in 2017,” she said. “It’s not a very easy decision for us to terminate an agreement or cut a program earlier than planned.”

GamePlex Boards, the manufacturer that makes the sideboards used at the Burbank facility, recently discontinued the boards the city was using.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

There is also another issue that led to the decision to end the program early. GamePlex Boards, the manufacturer that makes the sideboards used at the Burbank facility, recently discontinued the boards the city was using.

Garcia said the city typically replaces three to five boards annually. However, nine boards had to be replaced this year.

“Seeing that we cannot purchase any boards due to the manufacturer [who] stopped making these boards, we had to make this decision, and we have had these conversations with Mr. Dellasandro dating back to August of last year,” Garcia said, adding that the city formally notified Dellasandro of the early termination last month.

Demolition of the existing facility, fencing and rink would cost about $80,000, and construction of a new rink and facility would cost about $120,000, bringing the total cost for a new rink and facility to $200,000, Garcia said.

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Members of the Parks and Recreation Department claim they have been paying between $15,000 and $20,000 annually to maintain the rink. However, Dellasandro, who pays the city $8,800 annually to lease the rink, said he does not think that maintenance costs are that high and thinks the city has the money to construct a new facility.

Dellasandro added that he has an investor ready to install new boards so that they can continue the roller hockey program.

A few board members said they had their own children participate in the roller hockey league, and they understood the frustration many of the parents in the council chambers were experiencing.

Board Chairman Michael DePalo said the Parks and Recreation Department, the City Council and city staff do not want to see a thriving program shut down and that they will continue to work with Dellasandro to find a solution.

“Just please know that staff is very much in favor of keeping this roller hockey going,” he said. “They’re not here to put the kibosh on anything, so to speak. They’re here to be supportive, but also to be rational and try to find solutions to keep this wonderful facility open, so all of you can enjoy it and more people can enjoy it.”

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio