Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his administration will issue an $108 million loan to the beleaguered Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) project, once again jumpstarting a project that plunged into judicial turmoil last year.

The announcement came during Governor Cuomo’s roving State of the State address, this time held in Manhattan. There, Cuomo also announced $40 million in funding for Orchard Beach.

“We will invest in the Kingsbridge Armory and Orchard Beach for more desperately needed urban recreation opportunities,” Cuomo said in his speech.

Two state agencies, the Empire State Development Corporation and Public Authorities Control Board, had approved a $130 million loan to KNIC, funds that were needed to build the first phase of the nine-rink project that includes a 5,000 seat arena. The release of the funds was not possible until the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the city’s real estate arm, released the lease to KNIC.

The projects have been universally cheered, though more so by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who’s tied the completion of these projects to his own future political ambitions.

In a statement, Diaz praised the decision while taking jabs, though not by name, at Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYCEDC for its “lack of partnership and enthusiasm” towards projects hailed by Bronx officials.

“Albany will allow [these projects] to prosper,” Diaz said in his statement. “We can only hope now that the administration will see the wisdom in bringing these projects to fruition.”

News of the funds release comes as a relief for KNIC, headed by Kevin Parker, with hockey great Mark Messier serving as its president. The organization experienced a setback last month when a Bronx judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by KNIC claiming the city breached its lease contract with the ice developers by not releasing a lease that remained in escrow while developers sought to secure funding.

The NYCEDC stood behind its decision over not turning over the lease to KNIC arguing that it was not comfortable in turning over the 99-year lease to a developer that did not have funds in hand. Attorneys for KNIC long argued that the state needed an active lease for it to release funds to KNIC.

Despite the ruling and the option of terminating the lease agreement, the NYCEDC said it would keep talks on keeping the project open.

An attorney representing KNIC declined to comment on Governor Cuomo’s announcement.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.