Planet Granite Cancels Lease

According to reports in both the Los Angeles Times and thefrontpageonline.com, Planet Granite has canceled their lease on the now closed Culver City Ice Arena.

The report also asserts the lease can cancelation was mutually agreed upon by Planet Granite and the property owners.

The new lessee suffered a triple blow which began with a public storm over the closing of the popular ice rink which had served the community for over 50 years. This was followed by a concern that major environmental cleanup would need to be done. Finally, after the city had given the green light to Planet Granite to move forward, a document was found at city hall which granted a variance on the property for use as an ice rink only.

The owner of the property plans to give a short term lease to the Takahashi families who have been employed by the rink for years.

Still unclear are conflicting reports on the safety of the rink. In a report issued by the city there are numerous corrective measures that need to be taken. The city contracted with Alliance Industrial Refrigeration Services, Inc. which issued concerns about the safety of the rink while the company which has serviced the rinks systems for over 20 year claims the rink is safe.

Reed the full report in next week's Culver City Observer.