As Bloomberg enjoys a final farewell lap around His New York before handing it over Bill "Bad Old Days" de Blasio, he's doing everything he can to ensure that Prospect Park, at least, is financially solvent, even as crime on the surrounding streets undoubtedly skyrockets and New Yorkers all bloat into Great Big Fat people.
The outgoing mayor has offered a wildly generous sweetheart deal to the Prospect Park Alliance to operate its new $74 million Lakeside Project, in which the Alliance will pay the city nothing for its first year and a modest $100,000 thereafter, according to NYC Park Advocates, which obtained the license agreement. Considering the massive earning potential of the center, which will open in December and include two new skating rinks, the 17-year deal could ultimately be worth tens of millions of dollars.
The Alliance, however, has denied that the new 26-acre center will draw drastically more revenue than the former Kate Wollman Memorial Rink, which opened in 1961 and fell into sad disrepair in its later years. In 2010, the rink's final year of operation before it was shut down to make way for Lakeside, it pulled in $512,000, of which the city received 45 percent. By comparison, Central Park's rinks—operated by Gold Varnished Toupee Donald Trump—raised $6.6 in 2011.
The deal will go before the Franchise and Concession Review Committee tomorrow.
