GF Civic Center renamed Cool Insuring Arena
GLENS FALLS, N.Y. » Glens Falls Civic Center is history.
The regional sports and entertainment venue, which opened in 1979, is now known as Cool Insuring Arena.
More than 200 people turned out Tuesday for a press conference where officials announced a five-year naming rights deal, which gives a considerable boost to the building’s operations and financial future.
“It allows us to fulfill our mission,” said Dan Burke, Adirondack Civic Center Coalition president. “Without money you can’t do that.”
The coalition, comprised of local business and civic leaders, purchased the building from the city of Glens Falls for $600,000 in January 2015. The final $50,000 payment is due next June, Civic Center General Manager Jeff Mead said.
Terms of the naming rights deal weren’t dis-
closed, but it’s believed to be in the six figure range.
The price is not $1 million or more, said Jack Bieneck, Cool Insuring Agency Inc. vice president. The Queensbury-based company was founded in 1857 by Charles W. Cool, the first mayor of Glens Falls and a prominent late 19th- and early 20th-century civic leader.
“The building is important to the community,” Bieneck said. “Therefore it is important to us.”
On June 30, the coalition closed on its purchase of the center’s main tenant, the Adirondack Thunder hockey team, from the NHL’s Calgary Flames. A $1 million capital campaign to keep pro hockey in Glens Falls is about 60 percent complete.
“We still have looming financial obligations to fulfill,” Burke said. “We are still very much in the fundraising mode.”
The coalition is expected to announce terms of a new NHL affiliation in the next couple of weeks, he said.
Mead said naming rights money will support the hockey team and building upgrades.
The Civic Center has hosted numerous bigname attractions during the past 38 years. The list includes major performers such as the bands Styx and Chicago, country singers George Jones and Glenn Campbell, and Las Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton. On the sports side, Mike Tyson had two fights in Glens Falls en route to becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. The center also hosted the state high school boys basketball tournament for more than 35 years.
The venue has expanded its range of offerings since the coalition took over with events such as pro wrestling, circuses and Christian music concerts. This winter, the Harlem Globetrotters visited Glens Falls for the first time in 10 years, and the center hosted the ECHL All-Star Classic, which had a national television audience.
Plans are in the works for Glens Falls to host an arena football team, beginning in March, in the new American Arena League.
“More than 200,000 people visited the building in 2016,” Mead said.
In this regard, the center has a significant local economic impact as it draws people to downtown Glens Falls, which supports local business.
However, the building started to show its age in recent years as it was temporarily closed on two occasions, including once last winter, when portions of the exterior brick facade gave way under the weight of heavy snow and ice. But repairs were quickly made the center reopened shortly afterward.
Using $2.75 million in state funding, numerous improvements have been made inside and out since the coalition took over. This includes a new highdefinition video scoreboard; sound, lighting, locker room and concession stand upgrades; and a new WiFi system.
Outside, Glens Falls National Bank sponsors a new digital marquee sign with information about upcoming events.
“We’ve done many projects,” Mead said. “We’re excited about where we are. We know we’ve got a long way to go.”