BY RANDY SCHULTZ –
LOCKPORT, NY – On October 29th, 2013 a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Cornerstone CFCU Arena. Approximately a year later the doors were opened to the new facility located at the intersection of Grigg Lewis Way and Market Street in the heart of downtown Lockport.
On October 19, the Cornerstone Ice Arena will celebrate it’s 10th anniversary. And what a 10 years it has been.
The arena was the dream of the late William “Ben” May, a well-known Lockport attorney as well as a founding member and long-time director of the Grigg-Lewis Foundation. May lived long enough to see the completion of the arena, but unfortunately passed away in 2016.
Niagara County Court Judge, Hon. John Ottaviano, has always believed that May loved Lockport and that his legacy will always be the Cornerstone CFCU Arena.
“Ben believed in the arena at a time when many people were extremely skeptical and critical,” commented Ottaviano. “They said it could not be done.
“But not Ben, he believed in our dream and stuck with us.”
Because May believed so strongly in the project, the Grigg-Lewis Foundation donated $4 million to the arena, which consequently brought in more donations. It should be understood that the Arena is not a city-owned building. A federally-designated not-for-profit organization owns Cornerstone Arena.
For anyone who has yet to set foot in the arena, Cornerstone CFCU Arena features two NHL-size rinks, along with full concessions, The Penalty Box restaurant and a performance training center. The facility is the home of the Lockport Lock Monsters youth hockey organization.
The arena has offered an array of opportunities for the local community to take part in including: learn to skate, figure skating, youth/men’s league hockey, sled hockey, public skating, birthday parties, indoor lacrosse and ice bumper cars. It is estimated that over 150,000 players, parents, spectators and visitors come to the arena annually.
Throughout the years many hockey games and tournaments have been played as well as many ice skating events held at the arena. But in March of 2020 all of that changed when the Pandemic hit the United States.
“When we closed down on March 15th, when everything in the country and the world was closing down, we didn’t know what we were going to do,” recalled Shelley Unocic, Executive Director and GM of Cornerstone Arena. “I got a call from a representative at Lockport Hospital who told me that about 20 percent of their workforce couldn’t come into work because they didn’t have any child care facilities to take their children to.
“Remember, everything was closed including child care facilities and schools. I then got on the phone and made phone calls to the Executive Director over at the YWCA and the Executive Director at Youth Mentoring Services.
“We met and had a meeting to try and figure out what we could possibly do and what we were going to be allowed to do. I had the space in our building, but I didn’t have the license or credentials to operate anything myself.
“Within two days and working with Sue Capell (Executive Director of YMS) we came up with this essential worker daycare program. The Niagara Health Department was involved and they OK’d it.
“We started taking kids in that Wednesday or Thursday after everything had shut down. We got them free breakfasts and lunches.
“Sue was able to get several emergency grants to cover expenses. So anybody that had to keep working during the Pandemic could bring their children to the Arena.
“So while we sat as an ice arena and were closed, we could open the facility for the kids that needed daycare.”
Interestingly, when the arena opened for regular business in late August, daycare service for children continued.
“It was not unusual, once schools started again, we had children in everyday,” added Unocic. “And the program wasn’t just for essential workers anymore.
“So on any given day we had between 30 and 35 children in our building doing virtual learning on their devices. We had children spread out all over the building.
“And that program continued on until schools got back to normal. We have continued that program with YMS and kids can still come in here on no-school days and school holidays.
“It has turned out to be a win-win for everyone. Some of these children who came here for daycare are now enrolled in our learn to skate program and other related programs, including hockey.”
Since that time the Lockport School District opened their Family Empowerment Center in our building. They have brought in a lot of community-based programming for children.
Other youth-based organizations have had events at the Arena.
“It is a lot of community-based events that have nothing to do with stepping on the ice at all,” added Unocic. “And I think it is good for the community.
“We’re a safe place. We’re open seven days a week. We work with the city of Lockport as a cooling center in the summer and a warming center in the winter. All during the day.”
Unocic summed up the Cornerstone Arena’s history.
“I think it’s more than Mr. May would have imagined,” concluded Unocic. “But I think he would have been very proud of where we are today.”
(Hockey action photo by Janet Schultz Photography/NY Hockey OnLine)
