Trump Org Presses Eric Adams For Rights To Central Park Ice Rink After City Hall Spurned Nonprofit Gift

This story was initially revealed by THE CITY.

By Greg B. Smith, THE CITY

The Trump Group is aggressively lobbying the workplace of Mayor Eric Adams to win its bid to run Central Park’s Wollman Rink, two sources conversant in the matter confirmed to THE CITY — squeezing Adams to award a contract whilst President Donald Trump’s Justice Division strikes to dismiss the mayor’s corruption case.

The town put out a solicitation for bids simply days after Trump gained reelection in November. The opening for Trump to run the coveted rink additionally got here simply weeks after the nonprofit Central Park Conservancy had provided to provide town $120 million to switch the rink and repair up a part of the park.

Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi and Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue didn’t take the present provide — and didn’t reply to the conservancy’s followup. After ghosting the conservancy, the Division of Parks and Recreation put up a public discover the morning of Nov. 13 searching for bids to function the rink.

Inside hours, a Trump Group govt was quoted as stating the corporate supposed to pursue the contract — suggesting advance information of the bid alternative.

If Metropolis Corridor awards the Wollman Rink concession to the Trump Group, the president’s household enterprise, it will hyperlink the favored vacationer vacation spot on the foot of the long-lasting park to the Trump identify as soon as once more.

Trump has used Wollman Rink for years to burnish his declare that he’s an excellent businessman.

Throughout the Eighties, the Koch administration had tried for years to refurbish the broken-down rink. After six years and $20 million in authorities spending, the venture had collapsed. Enter rising star developer Donald Trump, who promised to get the job carried out in six months for $3 million. He did it in 4 months for $2 million.

His firm ran the rink for many years however was kicked out by Mayor de Blasio following the Jan. 6, 2021, riot by Trump supporters on the Capitol. Final yr, a decide dominated the corporate liable for more than $363 million in a civil case introduced by state Legal professional Normal Letitia James, centered on monetary misrepresentations by the corporate to the state of New York in tax filings.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Councilmember Shekar Krishnan (D-Queens) just lately wrote to Adams, expressing “deep concern” about the potential for town bringing the Trump Group again to handle Wollman, and questioning why his administration shrugged off “an especially thrilling and compelling proposal from the Central Park Conservancy.”

Adams’ relationship with Trump has been the main target of accelerating public scrutiny since December when President-elect Trump stated he was contemplating granting a pardon to Adams, accusing the Biden Justice Division of treating the mayor “fairly unfairly.”

That was adopted by Adams meeting with Trump close to his Mar-a-Lago property on Jan. 17, a go to the mayor insists didn’t embrace dialogue of his pending case. Days in a while Jan. 31, nevertheless, the mayor’s felony protection attorneys met with then-Performing Deputy Legal professional Normal Emil Bove and Manhattan federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., to debate probably tanking the case.

Bove filed the dismissal request Feb. 14, transferring to toss Adams’ corruption expenses whereas nonetheless sustaining the choice to prosecute later. That was adopted by an ungainly Adams media appearance touting his partnership with the Trump administration, with “border czar” Tom Homan stating he would “be up his butt” if Adams broke his vow to assist Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

A number of federal prosecutors refused to file the dismissal movement and resigned in protest, with the appearing Manhattan U.S. lawyer alleging that the settlement to toss the costs in change for the mayor’s collaboration on immigration was an unlawful quid pro quo. 4 of his prime deputy mayors — together with Joshi — introduced their resignations, and a number of other elected officers and different public figures have accused Adams of being a “hostage” to Trump.

Since then, the mayor has fastidiously averted saying something unfavorable in regards to the Trump administration. Throughout a Tuesday press briefing, as an illustration, he was requested about Canada’s risk, triggered by Trump’s back-and-forth tariff orders, to place a 25% surcharge on power deliveries to New York – a transfer that will have hiked utility prices for New Yorkers.

The mayor demurred, stating, “If you discuss tariffs and who’s going to resolve the tariffs and a struggle that’s going to shuttle on the tariffs, that’s the function of the federal authorities. I don’t management that.”

After former Mayor Invoice de Blasio terminated the Trump Group’s Wollman Rink contract in 2021, Parks solicited bids and turned the concession over to a three way partnership that included The Associated Corporations, one in every of New York’s largest actual property builders. That settlement is ready to run out in June 2026, and final yr Metropolis Corridor and the Parks Division started engaged on learn how to proceed going ahead.

A key participant concerned in these talks was the Central Park Conservancy, a well-heeled nonprofit that has steered hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in philanthropic funding to boost the park. Amongst its initiatives, scheduled to open this summer season: a $160 million replacement for the ice rink and swimming pool, previously often known as Lasker Rink, within the northeastern nook of the park. The conservancy contributed $100 million to the brand new facility, dubbed the Davis Middle on the Harlem Meer, with the remaining $60 million lined by town.

Final summer season and fall, the conservancy’s lobbyists focused Joshi and Donoghue to debate the “way forward for Wollman rink,” metropolis lobbying information reveal. On Sept. 18, the conservancy met with workers of Joshi and Donoghue at Metropolis Corridor, pitching the concept of offering town with a $120 million present that will pay to switch the rink and handle persistent stormwater flooding and accessibility points within the southeast nook of the park, a supply conversant in the assembly advised THE CITY.

On the assembly, town workers instantly pushed again on the proposal, demanding to understand how a lot it will price metropolis taxpayers, the supply stated. The conservancy stated it will require a dedication of $30 million in an effort to “unlock” ample philanthropic donations to fund the venture, the supply stated.

In an Oct. 18 letter obtained by THE CITY, Conservancy President and CEO Elizabeth Smith made one final pitch to Joshi and Donoghue, arguing that “re-envisioning your complete southeast nook, together with the rink and the encompassing landscapes…could be dramatically higher for the Park and the Metropolis than a one-off rebuilding of the rink alone.”

Smith famous the administration’s issues about shedding the $3 million in charges it collects yearly from the rink, however promised “to design a price construction that is smart for town.”

“We aren’t a company entity searching for a shortcut to extract cash from town however a companion attempting to give cash to the Metropolis,” she wrote.

Weeks handed with no response. Then at 9 a.m. on Nov. 13, days after Trump’s electoral victory, the primary public notice of a request for proposals (RFP) searching for bids on Wollman was revealed within the Metropolis Document, town’s official bulletin board the place all bid requests and awards are introduced.

By 2:27 p.m. that day, Trump Group Government Vice President Ron Lieberman was quoted by the New York Post stating, “We’re going to reply to the RFP. I’m submitting a proposal. We ran Wollman rink flawlessly for many years.”

Sources confirmed to THE CITY that the Trump Group then bid on the concession. The corporate didn’t reply to THE CITY’s questions on when it discovered of town’s intention to place out an RFP or to supply any data on its subsequent discussions about profitable the Wollman Rink concession with both the mayor’s workplace or the parks division.

THE CITY repeatedly despatched written inquiries to the mayor’s workplace and the parks division, requesting particulars on their communications with the Trump Group previous to and after the issuance of the RFP. THE CITY has acquired no response.

Requested final week once they count on to call a winner, a parks division spokesperson responded, “Parks is at the moment reviewing all proposals.”

Greg E. Smith is an award-winning investigative reporter at THE CITY with a particular deal with corruption and town’s public housing system.

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