Ratner, Mangano tout progress at Coliseum

Standing on what used to be New York Islanders’ ice level section of Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Peter Wang, a design director with the Gensler architectural firm, gestured last week towards boarded walls and stairwells, describing what they would become when the $260 million renovation project is completed. 

The only people outside the property now are construction workers, but next year, Wang said, Long Islanders would flock to an outdoor beer garden before entering the arena. Once inside, they will notice the sweeping architectural redesign of the ceiling and new flooring made of terrazzo. And they’ll notice new windows, which will provide a glimpse into the bowl’s updated seating area, lighting and staging. 

“That already builds anticipation and excitement for the show that’s about to happen,” Wang said. “As you circulate around the concourse, these views from one gate to the next to the next are going to add to that.” 

Wang and Nassau Events Center (NEC) officials suggested this vision to members of Long Island media as they toured the construction site.

While County Executive Ed Mangano said the behind-the-scenes tour should dispel rumors that the project had stalled, NEC officials conceded that the arena would reopen three months later than originally planned. Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said construction began late due to labor negotiations, and point denied by John Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor. Durso said “the hold up and the problem was not with the unions. We were ready, willing and able to meet and negotiate an agreement.”

The renovation is being spearheaded by Brooklyn real estate developer Bruce Ratner, whose company was chosen for the project by Mangano in August 2013. Ratner was the developer of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, to which the New York Islanders decamped when the Coliseum closed for renovation, and was former owner of the Brooklyn Nets.