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Community Corner

Sportime Takes Over Town-Owned Amagansett Arena

East End Ice, the previous lessee, folds without a facility.

Sportime has expanded its Amagansett sports facility campus on Abraham's Path to include the arena at right across the street. The park is owned by East Hampton Town, and Sportime has entered a 15 year lease with the town to run the 20,000 square foot arena.

By 2011, the new Sportime Amagansett Multi-Sport Arena's regulation rink will offer roller hockey, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and flag football. Claude Okin, the owner and a resident of Amagansett,  said in a press release, "We are thrilled that the town chose a local company to operate the arena and Sportime hopes to offer fun and fitness to every local sports enthusiast."

The facility had been leased by East End Ice, a not-for-profit organization that had petitioned the town to open outdoor roller hockey rinks for children and adults more than 15 years ago. "One year, about seven or eight years ago, we got a very heavy rain season, and we petitioned the town to get a building built," said Jim LaGarenne, who spearheaded the group along with Rob Wood.

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With the lease up in 2011, the town board put out a request for proposals. Sportime offered $1,000 per month, LaGarenne said. East End Ice offered to take over paying the utilities, which was the most it could afford. "We barely met our nut at the end of the year," he said, siting the cheapest league rates on Long Island.

Without a facility of its own, East End Ice has folded.

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Under Sportime, the facility will continue to offer adult and youth hockey leagues and youth clinics for soccer and lacrosse. In addition, the arena can be used for indoor baseball training and inline skating, as well as birthday parties and events. 

The facility is open now while upgrades and renovations are being made, mostly during the off hours. Wi-Fi and television are expected soon. At the end of the winter, the facility will close temporarily for major renovations where air conditioning, bathrooms, team changing rooms and a café will be added.

Sportime has 13 locations in New York, but it's first club opened in Amagansett 24 years ago.

Sue de Lara, the general manager of Sportime and a resident of Amagansett, said she was “thrilled to expand into the new arena. She said, “Here is a beautiful facility that’s been available to the community that’s not been utilized.”

LaGarenne disagreed. "We offered everything that Sportime offers."

He said in addition to league time, the arena was available to schools, like which might use on Fridays afternoons. "It looked like we weren’t available to the community because we weren't open all the time."

De Lara said that new management offers the community the benefit of the arena’s full potential. She said, “This is what we do,” and continued “We want to make it an active community sports center."

A resident of Amagansett and the mother of two, she said she understands that options for activities become pretty limited this time of year. She said, “We have a personal interest in seeing more activities available for us in the winter.”

Leagues began Tuesday; adults are $175 and youth $150 for 10 games each. 

But, LaGarenne said the town board made a mistake turning a facility paid for by taxpayers over to a for-profit organization. "Who suffers is the leagues and the kids who cannot afford to pay increased rates." He said the Latino community, which would come to the arena with 40 soccer teams, won't be able to afford Sportime's rates.

Sportime’s private facility on the other side of Abraham’s Path is quite large, comprising 23 acres and having 33 Har-Tru tennis courts. “It caters to a seasonal market and to a New York City crowd where this is more for the year round residents," de Lara said.

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