Out in the Cold : Skating Enthusiasts Heatedly Protest Announced Closing of Ventura County’s Only Ice Rink

A hot topic in eastern Ventura County this week has been whether the county’s only ice-skating rink can be saved.

On Friday, patrons of the Conejo Valley Ice Skating Center of Newbury Park--in operation for 12 years on Ventu Park Road--demonstrated in front of the Thousand Oaks offices of the rink’s landlord. The center was served with an eviction notice this week. Its lease expired June 30.

The demonstration followed a rally Thursday night at which 400 skating enthusiasts demanded that the center’s lease be extended for three years to allow time to raise money for a nonprofit ice-skating facility.

“We got assurances earlier this summer that we could stay there, and we made plans for hockey teams and classes and new skates based on that,” said Sean Gillivray, president of Icetime Unlimited, which owns the center. “It’s not like you can pick up an ice rink, with its 30 miles of pipes, and just move next door.”

Chuck Cohen of the Field House Partnership, which owns the building housing the rink, said his company considered extending the center’s lease, but rejected the idea when the building’s other tenant, International Video Entertainment, was bought by J. Arthur Rank Corp.

Rank, which has seven years remaining on its lease, plans to sublet the building to a tenant that wants to use all 130,000 square feet, including the rink, Cohen said. He would not reveal the firm’s identity.

“My partners and I feel somewhat belabored because we essentially provided for the rink over the years by accepting only a third of the market-rate rent we could have charged,” Cohen said. “If it wasn’t for my partners and I, the rink wouldn’t have existed for most of this time.”

Gillivray criticized Cohen for withholding the identity of the prospective tenant and said the center will fight the eviction in court. He said the center is still open and will not relocate.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Madge L. Schaefer requested that the county Recreation Services Department determine if it is feasible to put an ice-skating rink in Camarillo Regional Park. The department’s plan for the park is scheduled to be completed in February.