Central Park's ice rinks will reportedly close at the end of Sunday after Mayor Bill de Blasio moved to end the city's contracts with the Trump Organization in the weeks after the riot and insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th. [UPDATE: The ice rinks will now stay open until the end of the season, City Hall announced late Sunday. Scroll down for updates.]
Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink, operated by the Trump Organization, will close weeks ahead of when their contracts formerly expired in April, after de Blasio announced in January that the city would sever all four concessions contracts with the Trump Organization. The contracts now officially terminate on February 26th, but the NY Post reports that the Trump Organization is shutting down the ice rinks tonight in order to pack up and move out.
The Trump Organization confirmed that the rinks would close Sunday and noted various ice hockey and skating programs would end early.
In a statement, the organization told the Post, "Despite our appeals to the City to allow us to continue operations through the duration of the skating season—which would not only save the jobs of nearly 250 individuals who work or otherwise provide services [at] Wollman and Lasker Rinks, but also allow us to continue to provide the numerous public skating sessions and skating and hockey programs that we host on a daily basis—the City rejected our efforts."
Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the organization, called it a "political stunt that only hurts New Yorkers."
Kids and parents who use the rink for ice skating, hockey, and figure skating were disappointed. One parent told NBC4, "We've been here for five years and we count on this program, not only does she love the sport, but also for emotional health and well being." An 18-year-old figure skater told the Post the closures were another blow to her senior year, telling the newspaper, "I was so upset. I've literally skated here since I was 3 years old."
De Blasio said the city would end the $17 million contracts with the two ice rinks, the carousel in Central Park, and Trump Gold Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx after the deadly insurrection at the Capitol which President Donald Trump allegedly incited.
Lasker Rink was already expected to undergo renovations this year. The Parks Department is currently soliciting proposals from companies seeking to operate and maintain the rinks and carousel. City Hall and the Parks Department did not immediately respond to questions.
UPDATE, 6:57 p.m.: The ice rinks will now stay open in the coming weeks under the Trump Organization's management, a spokesperson for de Blasio announced Sunday evening.
"New York City kids deserve all the time on the ice they can get this year. The Wollman and Lasker rinks will stay open under current management for the few weeks left in this season," the mayor's press secretary Bill Neidhardt said in a statement. "But make no mistake, we will not be doing business with the Trump Organization going forward. Inciting an insurrection will never be forgotten or forgiven."
It is unclear why the change was made and what led up to the decision. A spokesperson for de Blasio said a new contract termination date was set. The company's executive vice president, Eric Trump, thanked the mayor Sunday evening in a tweet.
This article has been updated with information from the Trump Organization and City Hall.
