Bristol Selling Grundy Recreation Center

Bristol Borough’s Grundy Recreation Center is being sold.

The ice skating arena that has long been a financial strain for the borough will be sold for $4 million to Maryland-based Blackbear Sports Group.

Bristol Borough President Ralph DiGuiseppe announced during Monday evening’s council meeting that he had been having conversations with Blackbear Sports Group on the sale of the property in recent weeks. He said he couldn’t tell the public or council about the discussions due to a confidentiality agreement he signed.

Under the agreement, Blackbear Sports Group, which operates a number of ice rinks, including one in Warminster, would keep all employees, accept the building as-is, and not require delays for financing.

DiGuiseppe said the facility currently needs a $70,000 new chiller for a rink and a $35,000 compressor.

The rink, which draws people from around Bucks County, is operated by the Bristol Borough Recreation Authority, whose members are appointed by council and overseen by the borough. The facility brings in money but deficits and infrastructure projects have been paid by the borough in the past.

The Bristol Borough Recreation Authority was presented with the option to sell Monday evening and approved the deal.

During the council meeting, DiGuiseppe laid out the plan and council approved it. The council’s vote was only to approve a motion that they recommended the recreation authority greenlight the sale.

The sale is expected to close before the end of August, DiGuiseppe said.

“A lot of time and effort went into this agreement,” DiGuiseppe said.

Over the years, the Grundy Foundation has made donations to construct the rink and fund some operations for the rink. For that reason, a deed restriction that facility would be for public use was included. DiGuiseppe said the foundation board approved waiving the restriction so the sale could take place.

The borough still owes $3.7 million in debt on the rink. The debt was planned to be paid off by 2025 and has been a drag on the borough’s books.

DiGuiseppe explained that the $4 million payment would wipe the debt out and reduce municipal taxes about 15 percent by the reducing debt service millage rate starting in 2021.

The news was met with cheers from some council members.

DiGuiseppe said he would like to see the borough use the roughly $250,000 left over after paying down debt and closing costs to invest in recreation. He recommended keeping the recreation authority active and investing funds in giving the borough-owned basketball courts a facelift, improve some baseball fields, replace the pedestrian bridge over Adams Hollow Creek, fix some paths damaged by root growth, and also talk to the school board about jointly working to improve recreation.

The council president said he was for investing some of the funds in ripping down a portion of Elm Street, which is primed for redevelopment.

The Grundy Recreation Center has had money problems over the years and borough officials have looked for buyers in the past. In recent years, rink operations have stabilized.

The first ice rink in the borough was constructed in the 1970s and destroyed by fire in 1995. The current rink was built in 1997 at the former Thomas L. Leedom Carpet Mill site and expanded in 2000.

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