WILKES-BARRE TWP. — The Luzerne County Convention Center Authority Wednesday approved upgrades and improvements at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in anticipation of reopening the facility sometime next year.
The arena has been closed since March when non-essential businesses were shut down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and restrictions on crowd sizes. The restrictions have been relaxed somewhat and attendance is based on a percentage of the total capacity.
The only events held have been in the parking lot and none are scheduled in the coming months. The start of indoor events is still unknown.
Will Beekman, general manager of the arena for the management company ASM Global, told the authority members the arena has received calls from promoters and agents about the availability of dates in the third and fourth quarters of 2021.
“So the industry continues to move forward as if to be back to some sort of a normal capacity by fall and winter of ’21, but obviously that’s a big question mark,” Beekman said.
The American Hockey League announced it would be attempting to start the season on Feb.5, but how that affects the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team that calls the arena its home ice, remains to be seen, Beekman said. A meeting next month on the season could put the start in a sharper focus, he added.
Even if the hockey season was to start in February, the arena can only allow approximately 1,500 people to attend, following the state’s restriction at 15% of total capacity, Beekman responded to a question.
The team would like to see attendance at 25% capacity, Beekman said. With the increase of COVID-19 cases not only in the state, but also throughout the country and around the world, changing to a higher percentage is unlikely, he said.
While the facility is shut down, ASM Global identified a number of projects that could be done to prepare for the eventual reopening, said Donna Cupinski, vice chairwoman of the 11-member authority.
The total cost of the projects is not to exceed $190,500 with some of the items to be purchased by ASM Global through COSTARS, the state’s cooperative purchasing program, Cupinski said.
Cupinski provided a breakdown of the estimated cost for each project:
• Touchless plumbing fixtures, $145,000.
• Touchless soap and towel dispensers, $12,000.
• Filters, air handlers and heat pumps, $7,500.
• Bike racks and stanchions for crowd control, $15,000.
• Personal Protective Equipment for employees, $11,000.
Still in the works is the restrooms’ flooring project. It will replace the tile and grout floors in the restrooms with epoxy flooring that stands up better to cleaning. The authority agreed to hire Quad3 of Wilkes-Barre at a cost not to exceed $10,000 plus reimbursable expenses to prepare the scope of work, construction documents and assist with construction of a COSTARS approved contractor. In addition, the authority gave its Capital Improvements & Strategic Planning Committee the authorization to negotiate the contract for the flooring work.
The final project approved by the authority also dealt with flooring. The authority agreed to replace the flooring in the administrative office for Savor, which provides concessions and catering at the arena, at a cost not to exceed $6,000.
The flooring in the office has been in place since the facility opened, Cupinski said. The facility will mark its 21st anniversary on Friday.