The Cambria County War Memorial Arena is paying off its debt and turning a profit.
Wednesday morning, Cambria County Commissioners approved a contract renewal with the memorial’s managing company, SMG. A contract incentive included paying $175,000 of debt the county owed SMG.
“It basically washed $175,000 worth of debt off of the books for the county,” said Steve St. John, the War Memorial’s general manager.
The county pays SMG $84,000 a year to manage the War Memorial and North Central Recreation Center in Ebensburg. County and War Memorial officials said in the past year and a half, they’ve worked to erase debt and make profit.
“The War Memorial has been living within their budget, paying their fees, not coming to the county commissioners asking for another $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 just to keep the doors open,” said Tom Chernisky, Cambria County Commissioner President.
The commissioners also approved a $100,000 state grant to help pay for the War Memorial’s new scoreboard, which was purchased in December 2016 for $136,000.
In addition to paying off its debt, the Cambria County War Memorial Arena is also looking to increase its revenue by selling naming rights. A deal is in the works and will be announced later this summer.
“We selected a firm to negotiate with. We’re anticipating an announcement of naming rights probably within the next couple months,” St. John said.
County and War Memorial officials said these efforts will free up money to make repairs on the 67-year-old War Memorial building.
“They can do capital improvements and maintenance. Some of the things that have been neglected in the past,” said St. John.
They also said those improvements mean more activity at both facilities and more revenue for the county.
“People are coming up here. They’re using the facility, they’re staying and they’re eating at our restaurants,” Chernisky said.
“People want to have a place they can recreate near the house. They want to have a place to be entertained and exercise and skating’s all about it,” St. John said.
