NEW CHILL SPOT

Waterfront ice rink is opening tomorrow

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

By KEN THORBOURNE

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Forget Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park. Jersey City now has another ice skating rink.

Newport Skates, operated by the same company that runs "The Pond" at Bryant Park in Manhattan, opens tomorrow night in the Newport section on the Jersey City waterfront.

"It is a very appealing amenity to the entire community," said Jamie LeFrak, a managing partner in the family run LeFrak Organization, the developer of Newport. "And the usage and rental charges are very low, half of what you'd pay in Manhattan."

 

During the week, the admission charge and skate rental fee is $5; on weekends and holidays, it is $6.

The underground plumbing for the 7,000-square-foot rink was completed in August, but the finishing touches - the application of the 3 to 4 inches of surface ice and adjustments to the cooling system - were completed Saturday, LeFrak said.

 

The plan is to keep the rink open until March, said Todd Schwartz, an ice technician with Ice Rink Events.

The rink, at 93 River Drive, will be open seven days a week - 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and school holidays, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

The goal, according to LeFrak, is to attract customers beyond the 10,000 residents who live in the waterfront community. The rink is hardly a money maker, he added, noting the admission charge essentially covers the cost of insurance.

 

"But that's not the point," LeFrak added. "While it may lose money, we hope it will gain attendance."

During its first season, HSBC Bank, which recently opened a branch at Newport, is footing the bill for a few nights of free skating for the public, including opening night tomorrow from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., LeFrak said.

Tomorrow night's activities begin at 5 p.m. with the lighting of the Christmas tree at Newport Town Square, located between Town Square Place and River Drive South.

 

For more information call (201) 626-7465 or go to www.newportskates.com.