51ºÚÁÏ

The Maryland Heights City Council on Thursday voted to terminate the development agreement between the city and 51ºÚÁÏ Legacy Ice Foundation, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the 51ºÚÁÏ Blues that oversaw the four-rink facility and concert venue.

City officials, in a statement, said the Blues will still hold practices at the center. Oak View Group, a global sports and entertainment company that Legacy hired, will continue to manage day-to-day operations. Legacy Ice will focus on its mission of expanding access and interest in ice sports across the region.

“The Blues organization appreciates the crucial role Legacy Ice Foundation played in supporting the construction, opening, and ongoing management of the Centene Community Ice Center,â€� Blues President and CEO Chris Zimmerman said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to partner with them in support of their original mission to expand access to the game and bring major hockey events to the 51ºÚÁÏ region. We are committed to contributing to the ongoing and long-term success of the facility as a dedicated investor and tenant.â€�

But Legacy Ice Foundation will have no rights, responsibilities or obligations with the rink, off Interstate 70 and Highway 141. The agreement was reached mutually, and Legacy will not receive any money as part of the termination agreement, officials said.

The departure of Legacy Ice Foundation is a stark end for the organization, which spent years lobbying public officials to build a state-of-the art ice rink that the Blues and the public would use. The termination agreement also marks a culmination of years of financial challenges and missteps at the facility that has yet to see the annual revenues and visitors Legacy Ice had touted in its pitch.

Discussions started in October to “simplify the management agreement,� according to officials and the statement. City Administrator Tracey Anderson said Thursday that both the city and the Blues organization want the facility to be successful.

“There are no hard feelings,� she said.

Over five years ago, Legacy Ice Foundation officials said the rink would annually draw one million visitors and bring in $20 million in revenue while also serving as the home for Blues practices and boosting the area as a regional entertainment destination.

The city of Maryland Heights issued $55.5 million in bonds for construction. 51ºÚÁÏ Legacy Ice Foundation, which is led by current and former Blues executives, invested over $15 million and would lease and operate the facility. Oak View Group would manage day-to-day operations. But the pandemic struck six months after the $83 million facility opened in September 2019, and sales did not recover.

Maryland Heights has since spent $1.8 million to keep it afloat with backstop payments per its bonds agreement, in addition to $12 million to help finish construction.

The rink had struggled to regain momentum, and the facility faced unexpected expenses with insurance, maintenance and an inability to sell naming rights for its music venue.

Then Anderson, the city administrator, last summer discovered that the facility had not been collecting sales taxes since it opened, shorting the public of nearly $1.5 million. The rink began collecting sales taxes in October, officials said.

Legacy Ice chair Dave Otto had previously said that his organization was misled by a former Maryland Heights employee about paying taxes.

Legacy Ice received just one payment, for $38,000, from its time managing the facility. But the Blues organization and other affiliates received more than $500,000 from the facility, financial records show.

The Blues organization will continue hosting programming and events at the ice center, at 750 Casino Way, including a three-day prospect showcase that will be held this fall, according to the statement.

“The city will remain dedicated to fulfilling the ice center’s initial vision as a cornerstone of regional entertainment and economic development,� Maryland Heights said in its release.