State: Newark skirted no-bid laws in $5M ice rink renovation

The report by acting Comptroller Kevin Walsh found the city didn’t conduct a public bidding process when it selected Devils Renaissance Development, a private entity associated with the New Jersey Devils NHL team, to renovate the rink at the Sharpe James and Kenneth A. Gibson Recreation and Aquatic Center in East Newark.

The Devils play at Prudential Center arena in Newark.

Under New Jersey’s Adopt-a-Park statute, a municipality can contract with a private entity for maintaining, operating or improving a public park without having to seek competitive pricing, as long as the agreement comes at no cost to the municipality.

Newark issued $5.2 million in bonds in 2017 to pay for the project, according to the report. Devils Renaissance Development donated its services to the city and didn’t receive financial compensation, but acted as general contractor and forwarded funds to various contractors working on the project.

“Newark’s conduct in funding the project in its entirety directly contradicts the Adopt-a-Park Statute’s express requirement that agreements come at ‘no cost to the local government’ and contravenes the legislative findings and public policy on which the statute is based,” the report concluded.

Read more: https://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/state-and-regional/state-newark-skirted-no-bid-laws-in-5m-ice-rink-renovation/article_1f8be064-0b3f-11ec-8932-4344d4fced55.html