Clary Anderson Arena Association Inc.

update: 08/26/2026

Where Things Stand:

A Season of Progress at Clary Anderson Arena

It’s been a big year for Clary Anderson Arena, and we wanted to give the community a real update — what’s been done, who’s doing it, and what’s coming next.

The numbers: over $1.2 million raised, together

Since this campaign began, nearly 20 partner organizations, hundreds of donor families, and a group of generous foundations — including the McMullen Family Foundation and the Whitehill Foundation — have helped this community raise roughly $1.20 million to save and rebuild Clary Anderson. Some of that came in five- and six-figure gifts. Some of it came from kids who donated the exact amount of their hockey number. All of it mattered, and all of it went straight into keeping this rink’s heart beating.

Here’s specifically what your donations built:

• A stripped and repainted arena ceiling
• A new permanent, 250-ton low-temperature Trane chiller — built specifically for ice arenas, replacing the rental unit that got us through last season
• Two ultramodern refrigerant pumps and controls in the equipment room
• Concrete pads for all new equipment to be securely placed on
• Removal of the old refrigeration plant and pumps
• A glycol filtration system to protect the new chiller from contaminants and manage fluid levels
• New rubber flooring in the arena and locker rooms
• Repairs to the arenas metal roof and the gutters cleaned, so leaks are finally behind us
• A used backup Zamboni purchased, replacing the one that had been sitting outside for years

That’s the unglamorous, essential stuff — the systems that actually keep ice on the ground and the building standing. It’s exactly where community-raised dollars should go.

What the Township has done

Alongside our fundraising, the Township of Montclair has invested directly in the parts of the building that make it safe, code-compliant, and welcoming for everyone who walks through the door:

• New men’s and women’s ADA compliant bathrooms
• New LED lighting for the ice surface
• Roof repairs over the office, lobby, bathrooms, and equipment room
• A repaired fire suppression system
• New boilers for lobby heat and Zamboni-room ice melt
• Electrical upgrades, being rolled out in stages
• A major cleanup, clearing years of unused equipment out of the building

Between the town’s investment and the community’s, Clary Anderson has gotten more attention and more real repair work in the last year than it had in decades.

Who’s running the rink now

Day-to-day operations are now in the hands of Kevin McCormack of Emerald Sport Management, who spent more than 20 years running Floyd Hall Arena at Montclair State University and knows the Montclair hockey scene inside and out. He’s working hand in hand with the Township and with CAAA’s volunteers — which means the rink now has professional, experienced management without losing the community-run spirit that saved it in the first place.

As featured in TAPinto

Montclair’s own TAPinto recently covered the campaign in “Clary Anderson Comeback: Community Campaign Saves Montclair Hockey Haven,” following Monica Kurpiewski and Deron Siddons presenting Mayor Renee Baskerville and the Township Council with a ceremonial check for the community’s contribution. As CAAA President Deron Siddons put it:

“It’s a lot of money and it’s going a long way towards keeping this rink open and operational for the next, I don’t know, hopefully the next fifty years, I’ll say twenty anyway.”

What’s next:  Still a lot of work needs to be done

With Phase 1 essentially complete, what else is on our wish list to comfortably upgrade this great old hockey barn?

• HVAC / dehumidification so that the arena can comfortably be used 12 months of the year and air is conditioned so that it can make the best quality ice possible
• Replacement/upgrade of the old ice surface slab and refrigeration piping to regulation size
• Repair of floor surrounding the ice surface removing asphalt and crumbling concrete so we have a safe area for public use
• New regulation size Dasher boards and glass so we can see better
• Renovation of the public and high school locker rooms as we make way to a regulation sized arena
• New spectator stands
• New score board
• Repair/replace the arena’s metal roof
• And the list goes on …..

As always, this phase will be community-funded, and every dollar goes directly to the project. If you’ve already given, thank you — you helped save this place. If you haven’t yet, there’s never been a better time to be part of what’s next. Please donate so that CAAA can continue to preserve and upgrade this amazing heart within our community so that it can continue to serve us for many years to come.

With appreciation

Trustees

Deron Siddons, President

Scott Gibson, Treasurer

Reginald Jenkins Jr, Secretary

And all to all of our donors and volunteers, thank you!