Clary Anderson Arena Association Inc.

update: 10/14/2025

CLARY ANDERSON ARENA IS OPENING MONDAY OCT 20^th

A very important volunteer Monica Kurpiewski, who has been working day and night towards the opening of the rink has shared an important and detailed update on the work and help that has gone into the reopening of Clary Anderson.

Hi everyone

I’m sure many of you have heard by now that we have an opening date. A bit later than many would have hoped, but given that the town had committed to an opening date of January 2026, we certainly moved up the schedule!

This has been a tough road. We had to change course multiple times, preparing the rink to be operational again, and prioritizing repairs and renovations based on getting the ice open as soon as possible.

• Brought in a rental chiller to efficiently produce ice again.(to minimize downtime and save this season)
• Decommissioned and removed old systems
• Replumbed components to accommodate the new system.
• Upgraded the electrical panel to power the new system.
• Worked with the town to address code and safety issues.

This project would not have been successful if it weren’t for some amazing volunteers. There needs to be a very special shout-out to Matt Allen, the treasurer from Nutley Clifton, who worked with me daily to help strategize and work through every problem, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. We learned how to make ice together and can now engage in intelligent discussions about ice rink operations. Pete O’Rilley, a Nutley Clifton coach, gave up days of his own work projects to help remove the old tower and refrigerant. Nick Mandarakas, a Montclair dad whose son plays at Nutley Clifton, jumped in to help monitor the chiller at all hours of the night when we were having problems optimizing the system. And finally, to our amazing Montclair Department of Public Works team, who, with a smile, helped clear the site and humored me when I asked for more backhoes to get the work done faster. They found me three!  These were only a few of the many; I could go on and on. From words of encouragement to offering to help in any way they could, many of you asked and offered, and I am so grateful for each and every one of you.

Now, when you walk into Clary in the next few weeks, you may not see many huge changes. But you will see:

• The boards have been cleaned and restored
• The Glass has been buffed and clean, you can see the game better!.
• Removed the mold and mildew, the smell is gone.
• Deep cleaned the entire facility
• Many of the public spaces have been repainted, and we will continue

There are still huge projects that need to be done, that couldn’t be started if we wanted to have ice this season (season normally ends April/May 2026). The leaky roof, superstructure painting, flooring, and HVAC are all on the list for phase 2 of the project, which will occur at the end of this season. I will be working with the town council to define and structure the next phase of Clary. We are in the process of bringing in experts to assess the current state of the facility and help develop a sensible Phase 2 plan.

Updates will be posted on the here as Phase 2 plan develops. Thank you for all your support! We couldn’t have done this without YOU!