Holiday Twin Rinks to re-open on Friday pending inspection

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Nearly a week after more than 100 people became sick from dangerous levels of carbon monoxide at the Holiday Twin Rinks, the Cheektowaga Code Enforcement Department is weighing in with what the rink needs to do before re-opening.

The code department says the rink will remain closed until the new equipment has been inspected and deemed safe.

"All the appliances along with all the detection systems should be operational and in compliance as required by code prior to them opening back up for business," code enforcement supervisor Richard Coburn told News 4.

Holiday Twin Rinks said it is making the necessary repairs before it reopens and that the carbon monoxide issues from last Wednesday have been resolved. This comes almost a week after more than 100 people went to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater and ice re-surfacer. Both pieces of equipment were causing problems for the building, according to the building's supervisor.

The CO issues we experienced last Wed 12/27 have been resolved.  We are now taking the extra step of evaluating all of our equipment, to make sure it is in perfect working order prior to re-opening.

Mark Grundtisch, owner of Holiday Twin Rinks

Cheektowaga Code Enforcement says a new heater has been installed. It is unclear if the ice resurfacer has been repaired or replaced.

Video obtained and viewed by News 4 appears to show workers at Holiday Twin Rinks discussing the building’s carbon monoxide detector four days before the arena was closed due to dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide.

According to the viewer who provided the clip, the video aired on the livestreaming website LiveBarn, at 11:31 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 23. Kristina Young, head of venues, partners and social for LiveBarn, which sells technology to broadcast amateur sports games at venues across the U.S. and Canada, said the content was owned by the company and declined to allow News 4 to show the footage.

Jim Bender, the building's supervisor, responded to News 4's questions with a lengthy statement saying the detectors had been going off since Dec. 20 or Dec. 21. He says he fixed them according to the manufacturers directions on the back of the device. He called it an isolated incident that was completely different to what happened Wednesday.

The code department says it is protocol to call in an expert to determine if the device is not working properly or if there is dangerous carbon monoxide in the air. It was not notified the detectors were having prior issues.

"Usually in that case they will call or have somebody come out to verify there is no carbon monoxide concern when those devices are activated," Coburn said.

News 4 received reports that a youth clinic was held Friday just days after the building was closed. Coburn says he doesn't know how people got inside.

"I'm not sure how they had access to the building, who let them in or how it was operating, but when we showed up, there was nobody there," Coburn added.

The rink said Friday it was under the impression the building was safe to operate after National Fuel gave them the go ahead to reopen. It also said that once carbon monoxide was detected Friday, the building was immediately closed.

The rink is inspected by the town on a yearly basis. Coburn says the building was due for inspection at the end of last year. The department and rink were in talks to schedule that inspection prior to the carbon monoxide leak.

Cheektowaga Police are investigating the incident and reviewing all evidence to determine if there was any criminal conduct.

"The detectives are going to take a look at the case and look at any type of intentional acts that were either made or things that were not done that could result in criminal charges. Right now, it's way too early to say if they will fit," Captain Jeffrey Schmidt, public information officer for Cheektowaga Police, said.

Holiday Twin Rinks has pushed back its opening date several times. It is now slated for Jan. 5. Cheektowaga Code Enforcement says it will inspect all devices and equipment before it the rink reopens.