Faced with costly repairs, the owner of Water City Roller Hockey walks, leaving the rink’s future unknown.

Mention Water City Roller Hockey to Marina residents, and they start gushing with memories. Up to three generations have shared experiences of rolling skating there for celebrations, playing in soccer and hockey tournaments, and attending high school dances.

The place has been closed since March of last year, first, because of shelter-in-place orders. and now because the building was red-tagged by the city of Marina. Officials who inspected the building on April 21 found violations of the fire code and other rules, including Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility, ventilation, heating and electrical. The red tag stops anyone from entering the premises until issues are corrected. City officials estimated repairs could cost up to $150,000, and on May 18, the City Council voted unanimously to allocate $150,000 to make the necessary repairs to come into compliance. The work is expected to take three to six months.

But below the surface are concerns about the viability of the beloved business. Mark Tanous, who for 25 years leased the Marina Sports Center building from the city and ran Water City Roller Hockey, has walked away.

He was on a month-to-month lease, and says it didn’t make sense for him to invest in repairs. The state of the building has been a recurring issue for City Council, and in a meeting on Feb. 17, Councilmember David Burnett said Water City owes $400,000 in rent and he doesn’t believe the place had enough community support to make it a viable business. Mayor Bruce Delgado agreed that marketing has been neglected at Water City, “but if you were to improve it, enlarge it, market multiple sports, not just roller sports, it could be this gem that people are so excited about.”

Tanous says the rent Burnett mentioned started during the economic crisis in 2008, when he requested reduced rent. “We never made an agreement to come up with that back rent, it was never part of the deal,” he says. “I hope the city sees the value to the community that we created. We helped kids with their dreams.”

A lot of residents see value in it, and dozens of people attended a rally on May 22 urging city officials to find a way to keep it open for roller sports.

Back in 2019, the city spent $45,000 on plans to redesign the building for other athletics, but the plan didn’t include roller sports. Members of the community raised concerns about losing the roller rink, and City Council requested architects update the plan to include roller sports; they haven’t provided an updated plan yet.

Meanwhile on May 12, a group of 18 roller sports aficionados submitted a letter to the city offering asking to discuss opportunities to step in and manage the rink. The group intends to incorporate as a nonprofit.

Larry Moonan, who wrote the letter, coached hockey at Water City for his three sons, and they now play side by side in an adult league. “The boys sort of grew up there,” he says.

“It’s got such a unique feel and culture to it,” Moonan says. “It’s been woefully under-promoted.”