First Arena
| First Arena | |
|---|---|
| Home of Your Elmira Jackals | |
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| Former names | Coach USA Center (2000–2004) |
| Location | 155 North Main Street Elmira, NY 14901 |
| Broke ground | November 24, 1999[1] |
| Opened | November 11, 2000 |
| Owner | Elmira Downtown Arena LLC |
| Operator | Afr Enterprises |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction cost | $16 million[2] ($21.6 million in 2012 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | BBB Architects Inc. |
| General Contractor | Welliver McGuire[4] |
| Capacity | 3,784 (ice hockey) |
| Tenants | |
| Elmira Jackals (UHL) (2000–2007) Elmira Jackals (ECHL) (2007–present) Elmira Bulldogs (EBA) (2010) |
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The First Arena is a 3,784-seat multi-purpose facility that features two ice surfaces, a full service restaurant and bar, a food service center for the recreational rink, video game arcade, 31 luxury suites, party/group outing facilities, and meeting/community rooms among other amenities. located in downtown Elmira, New York. The arena opened in 2000 as the Coach USA Center which changed names to the First Arena in 2004. It is home to the Elmira Jackals ice hockey team of the ECHL. It is located on the corner of W. Gray Street and N. Main Street.
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[edit] Sports
The First Arena has hosted many different sporting events since its opening in November 2000. The First Arena is most likely known for the Elmira Jackals who compete in the ECHL and formerly the United Hockey League. First Arena has also hosted many other sporting events such as basketball, wrestling and X-treme Ice Racing.
[edit] Entertainment
The arena is used for more than just sporting events, with musical acts, family productions, and many other large entertainment performances such as concerts, circuses, and professional wrestling.
The following is a partial list of the concerts and other entertainment events that have taken place there:
Larry the Cable Guy
Bill Engvall
Disney on Ice
Bob Dylan
Vince Gill and Amy Grant Christmas
Kenny Rogers Christmas
Wine on Ice
X-treme Ice Racing
Harlem Globetrotters
Dierks Bentley
WWE Wrestling
TNA Wrestling
& many more events
[edit] Arena Operations Staff
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| Title | STAFF MEMBER | |||||
| General Manager | Robbie Nichols | |||||
| Director of Communications/Broadcasting | Eric Levine | |||||
| Box Office Manager | Tabbatha Cowper | |||||
| Sales Executive | Justin Karpowich | |||||
| Sales Executive | Michael Karpowich | |||||
| Administrative Assistant | Edward Meek | |||||
| Director of Operations | Angela Pleus | |||||
| Rec Rink Manager | Mike Robbins | |||||
| Skating Director/Recreation Rink Programs | Robyn Bentley | |||||
[edit] Foreclosure Proceedings
The official move toward foreclosure against First Arena began after 4:30 p.m. Jan. 17, 2012 the deadline for Elmira Downtown Arena to pay $123,849 in overdue taxes.
Elmira Downtown Arena LLC, which is supposed to pay taxes and utility bills, is owned by Michigan businessman Mostafa Afr, who also owns the Elmira Jackals hockey team, the arena's primary tenant
The owner of First Arena in Elmira plans to apply to repurchase the arena from Chemung County after a judge signs a foreclosure order and a redemption period begins.
This is not the first time that Elmira Downtown Arena has defaulted on its taxes. It entered into an installment agreement to pay taxes on Oct. 31, 2007, and defaulted March 31, 2008. The default was paid off on Jan. 20, 2009, the last day possible. Elmira Downtown Arena entered into another installment agreement on Jan. 14, 2011, and defaulted March 31, 2011.[5]
2/21/2012 After not paying taxes for three years and being hit with a foreclosure order by Chemung County last week, Elmira Downtown Arena LLC owner, Mostafa Afr, has finally written a check to pay off all of the back taxes and fees he was responsible for. Afr owed $136,234.
The arena is owned by Southern Tier Economic Development, STED, but Elmira Downtown Arena LLC is the arena's operator. STED's lawyer, Steven Agan, says Afr's check will be delivered to Chemung County on either Wednesday or Thursday of this week.
If the check had not been written and the debt had not been paid, the county would gain ownership of the arena.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Quinn, Kelley (November 24, 1999). "Arean Project Will Kick Into High Gear". Star-Gazette. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/stargazette/access/1847361821.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+24%2C+1999&author=Kelley+Quinn&pub=Star+-+Gazette&desc=Arena+project+will+kick+into+high+gear&pqatl=google.
- ^ Kosnac, Erin (January 18, 2004). "Afr Seeks Bankruptcy Protection". The Times Herald. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/thetimesherald/access/1810033821.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+18%2C+2004&author=Erin+Kosnac&pub=Times+Herald&desc=Afr+seeks+bankruptcy+protection&pqatl=google.
- ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ http://www.welliver-mcguire.com/viewImage.asp?imgID=16
- ^ http://www.stargazette.com/article/20120130/NEWS01/201300360/First-Arena-owner-plans-repurchase-facility-after-foreclosure?odyssey=nav%7Chead
- ^ http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story/First-Arena-Could-Avoid-Foreclosure/-Hvnc0X_3EKjDG_qIVmG-Q.cspx
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 42°05′18″N 76°48′31″W / 42.08835°N 76.808482°W
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