SCHENECTADY —On April 11 of last year, Union College President David Harris, Development Authority Chairman Ray Gillen, Galesi Group CEO and president David Buicko and state Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara gathered at Mohawk Harbor to announce that Santabarbara had secured $10 million in state funding for a facility that would house the Union men’s and women’s hockey teams.
It would replace the aging Messa Rink, the hockey team’s current home.
“It’s Schenectady’s next big endeavor,” Santabarbara said.
But just over a year later, the only activities taking place at the site of the proposed facility are people walking or parking their cars to go to Rivers Casino or the shops at the harbor.
The Daily Gazette looked into what progress is being made to start construction on the proposed 2,850-seat facility. Last year, the cost was projected to be between $40 and $50 million.
Everyone seems to be on the same page, that talks are ongoing and progress is being made. Union College spokesman Phil Wajda wrote in an email that “there are no new updates and we continue to engage in collaborative discussions on the project.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Union athletic director Jim McLaughlin.
“We continue to engage in positive conversations with all the parties,” McLaughlin said. “I’ll share more, once we have more definitive details, but I don’t want to get into the heart of the details. And I respectfully request that that’s what we go with at this point.”
In an email to The Daily Gazette, Gillen wrote, “Last year’s budget included funding for the Mohawk Harbor Arena project. No public funding has been expended, but all parties involved in the project continue to have constructive discussions. Considerable time and effort has been spent conducting the necessary due diligence, and that work continues in the shared hope of reaching an agreement.”
Santabarbara is keeping abreast of the situation.
“I’ve talked to all the partners,” Santabarbara said in a telephone interview Saturday. “This project was fully supported by a number of different partners, Schenectady County, the City of Schenectady, Metroplex, Union College and the Galesi Group, so those conversations about getting this project started have definitely advanced. And I think they’re getting ready, at some point, I would imagine this year, to actually start construction on this thing.
“I know that the $10 million that I was able to secure in the state budget was a big, big win towards making this project a reality. I wish I could give you a timeline. I don’t have an exact timeline. But I will tell you this, you could talk to any one of these partners, including Union College, and they are very excited about this project. It’s a needed project.”
Sanatabarara said there is no deadline on when the $10 million must be used.
“That funding is secure,” Santabarbara said. “That funding is earmarked for this project, so they do have time to work on this. When the project gets going, they can access that funding when they need it.”
The Union men’s hockey program has been around since 1975 when it played at the NCAA Division III level. The program moved to Division I level in 1991. The team struggled for years before becoming a powerhouse early last decade, winning three ECAC Hockey regular season titles (2011, 2012 and 2014), three straight ECACH tournament championships (2012, 2013 and 2014) and reaching the NCAA hockey tournament four straight years (2011-14), making Frozen Four appearances in 2012 and 2014 and winning the national title in 2014.
Since then, Union has made just one NCAA appearance (2017). The Dutchmen had their worst season under then-head coach Rick Bennett in 2019-20, going 8-25-4. They sat out the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic.
Under new head coach Josh Hauge, the Dutchmen finished eighth in conference play this past season with an 8-13-1 record. They were 14-19-2 overall.
The Union women’s hockey program has been at the Division I level since the 2003-04 season after playing a few years at Division III. The Dutchwomen haven’t had much success in their 18 seasons at D-I They have yet to make the ECACH tournament. Next season, the Dutchwomen are guaranteed a spot in the ECACH tournament because the field was expanded from eight to all 12 teams.
There have been previous proposals to either build a new facility or refurbish Messa. In 1997, a proposal was made to build a facility just off Nott Street near a car wash that was to be a joint venture between Union and the Schenectady Youth Hockey Association. But the men’s team didn’t want to move off campus, and the project never happened. Since then, that space became home to the Union men’s and women’s soccer programs.
The hockey programs’ current facility underwent improvements starting in the summer of 2003 and completed the following year. A new cooling system, boards and glass, locker rooms and the conversion of a storage area downstairs, which had been a curling rink, to a reception area were among the major projects. The rink was renamed after Union alum Frank Messa, who donated a gift to the college.
There was a proposal in early 2016 for improvements that included a new video scoreboard, a new entrance across from Frank Bailey Field, a new floor for the ice surface, along with new boards and glass and new coaches offices. Only the video scoreboard came to fruition.
Contact Ken Schott by email at schott@dailygazette.com. Follow him on Twitter @slapschotts. Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: carnold@dailygazette.net or by calling 518-395-3120.