Renovations to the War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse will allow the county to keep the Syracuse Crunch hockey team housed in the facility for the next 12 years and provide an area to display more veteran memorials.

The Syracuse Crunch agreed to extend its lease at the War Memorial from seven years to 12 years, said Bill Fisher, deputy executive of Onondaga County. The lease extension will help bring in enough money to offset the cost of the renovations, Fisher said.

Since Syracuse has an American Hockey League team in the arena, it is important there are renovations, said Ryan McMahon, chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature. If the arena doesn’t have the renovations it needs, the county could risk losing the team, he said.

“It will allow them to keep playing in the arena,” McMahon said.

Onondaga County legislators recently approved funding that will allow the War Memorial Arena to be renovated. The cost of the project will be $8.5 million, Fisher said.

Funds for the project are coming from a New York state grant totaling $1.25 million, facility fees and county bonds, he said. Fisher said the facility fees include ticket sales and a small fee added to the ticket price.

Fisher said the fee will be used to offset the price of the renovations. This should raise about $1.3 million in funds for over the next 12 years.

Syracuse Crunch and various veterans groups are the primary stakeholders in process, and both approve of the renovations, Fisher said.

The project includes the arena where the Syracuse Crunch play hockey and a veterans memorial area. The memorial area will have six suites, with one suite that will honor veterans called the “All Who Served Club,” Fisher said.

New LED lights and bathroom renovations will improve fan experience, said Jim Sarosy, chief operating officer of the Syracuse Crunch.

This is not the first time renovations have been made to the War Memorial, but this is the first time that a major renovation is taking place at the facility, Fisher said.

Per Fisher, there were many past options for what the county wanted to do with the building. He said there was once a county idea to demolish and replace the building.

Fisher said Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney and her team proposed the idea of renovating and modernizing the arena.

It took five months for the Onondaga County Legislature to come up with a plan and the legislature came to an unanimous agreement to approve renovation plans.

Sarosy said the building, built in 1951, was outdated and needed an update.

Construction on the War Memorial should begin in October and last about a year.

McMahon said the renovations will not only help the city, but they will also help the community.

“The community overall will have a better experience at the games,” McMahon said.

Published on October 11, 2017 at 12:11 am

Contact Bianca: bmoorman@syr.edu