the sullivan just switched hands

The Anchorage Assembly approved new operating contracts for all three city-owned ice arenas, the Sullivan Arena, Ben Boeke Arena and Dempsey Anderson Arena, with the agreements taking effect July 1. The Sullivan is now managed by a group called All In 49, while Ben Boeke and Dempsey Anderson are run by a new outfit called Anchorage Community Ice Management.

The change affects anyone with a kid in hockey, local figure skaters, and regular skaters at Boeke, since these new operators now handle ice time, staffing and day to day operations at the rinks.

City leaders said the switch followed concerns about oversight and how public money was being spent under the previous operator. One Assembly member said they were not confident the city was being a responsible steward of the facilities under the prior arrangement.

The arenas have changed operators multiple times over the years, and each switch has raised fresh questions about ice time, staffing and whether the rinks stay open through the winter. For a building like the Sullivan, that history carries extra weight, and the city is still weighing the arena's long-term future.