Last Friday, Oct. 16, was supposed to be the last day the Central Coast Sports Arena had the keys to its building at the Santa Maria Fairpark. Instead, the rink is still open. KSBY reported that the owners secured a short-term extension through December, and public skating continues through the end of October.
If you saw the closure notice in late summer, you may have assumed the rink was gone. The extension doesn't fix the underlying problem. It buys time while the two sides keep talking. What decides the outcome is probably less about the rink's rent than about whether someone else is ready to pay more for the building.
The dates that changed
The rink's own closure notice, posted Aug. 26, 2026 by co-owner Tobin Flamm, set out three last dates.
- Final public skate on Sunday, Oct. 4
- Final adult hockey session on Thursday, Oct. 8
- Final day inside the building on Friday, Oct. 16
That schedule no longer holds. In its Oct. 6 report, KSBY said owners Lori and Tobin Flamm told the skating community that public skating will go on through October and that they hope to keep negotiating through the end of December. Lori Flamm said the arena might be able to stay month to month after December. KSBY also reported that the lease had been set to expire Oct. 31.
As of mid-October, the rink's news page still lists the Aug. 26 notice as its latest post. If you're planning a skate session or a party, go by the extension and call the rink before you go.
What's at stake inside that building
The arena has been at the Fairpark for 29 years and offers in-line skating and hockey. Noozhawk's July 29 coverage described it as home to the Cal Poly Hockey Club, youth and adult hockey teams, and roller derby. KSBY's list adds learn-to-skate programs, birthday parties, indoor soccer and private events.
The building is close to 20,000 square feet, according to KSBY. That size is why it's hard to replace and also why it's hard to move. Flamm told Noozhawk in September: "We own a large hockey rink, this isn't a standard small retail center where we pick up a few tables and relocate. Relocating such a business requires ample planning, and funding." In July he told Noozhawk he was open to relocating, but finding a big enough building, and possibly somewhere to store equipment, would be a challenge.
For anyone who plays ice hockey or skates on ice, Ice in Paradise in Goleta currently advertises public skating plus youth and adult ice-hockey programs. It's a long drive, and it's an ice rink, not an in-line rink, so it isn't a direct replacement for roller hockey or derby.
Six rent figures, one building
The two sides have been far apart because, depending on which number you use, the building is worth very different amounts. All figures are monthly, as Noozhawk and KSBY reported them during 2026.
| Figure | Monthly amount | Source of the figure |
|---|---|---|
| Rent the arena has been paying | About $3,500 | Not adjusted for inflation since 2008 |
| Same rent adjusted for inflation | About $5,390 | Fairpark interim CEO Todd Ventura |
| Arena's proposed new lease, year one | $5,100 | Declined by the Fairpark board |
| Arena's proposed new lease, year two | $5,250 | Declined by the Fairpark board |
| Market value, per July coverage | About $20,500 | Comparison to other Santa Maria properties |
| Market value, per September coverage | Roughly $15,000 | Ventura |
KSBY described the appraisal another way. Ventura told the station the building could lease for about three times what the arena had historically paid. The market-value estimates differ between reports, but every one of them is far above anything the rink has offered.
The arena's own offer sat just below the inflation-adjusted figure. Ventura told Noozhawk the offer wasn't in a "reasonable market range" for a building that size. The gap that matters is between those figures and what the Fairpark thinks the space could earn from a different tenant.
Why the Fairpark is pushing on rent
The Santa Maria Fairpark isn't a private landlord. It's run by the 37th District Agricultural Association, a state entity under the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and its volunteer board members are appointed by the governor. Ventura told KSBY the Fairpark depends on events, rentals and festivals to operate and has a financial gap to close. He also told Noozhawk the arena doesn't fit well within the agricultural association's mission.
This didn't start this summer. Ventura told Noozhawk that lease renewal talks began more than a year ago, and that in November the Fairpark told the arena the lease wouldn't be renewed. He has still said the arena could stay if the two sides reached a financial agreement.
The condition attached to the month-to-month offer
In September, the board voted 3-2 to offer the arena a month-to-month lease at the $5,390 inflation-adjusted rate, with 60 days' notice to vacate. The offer had a condition attached. Noozhawk reported that the Fairpark would not extend it if another renter agreed to pay more than $5,390 during a build-out or pre-opening period and then move to market rent once it opened.
Flamm's objection was about how the rink operates, not only about cost. "We cannot responsibly retain staff, schedule leagues/private parties, accept registrations, secure sponsors, or invest in the business when we are uncertain whether we will be in business in 60 days," he said in a statement Noozhawk reported.
That's why the rink's future depends on another tenant. Hockey leagues and roller derby run on seasons. A lease that could end on two months' notice doesn't fit a season, and the notice could come whenever another group is ready to commit.
The two groups interested in the building
Ventura told Noozhawk in September that the Fairpark was talking with two separate groups about the arena space. Neither was named. One proposed a broad recreation center with basketball and pickleball. The other wanted to turn the building into an indoor soccer facility. Back in July, he had already described pickleball and basketball as the kinds of popular activities the Fairpark wanted for the space.
Neither group has shown up on a public agenda so far. The Fairpark's Sept. 8 board agenda listed "Skating Rink" under old business for discussion and action. The Oct. 13 agenda listed no new business and no public item naming a new arena tenant.
Where to watch for the next move
Here is where news on the rink is likely to show up first, in the order it would probably happen:
- Fairpark board agendas at santamariafairpark.com, where a new tenant for the arena building would appear as an action item
- The rink's own news page at centralcoastsportsarena.com, which still shows the Aug. 26 notice
- The end of December, when the short-term extension KSBY described runs out and a month-to-month arrangement may or may not follow
The rink's owners are asking people to keep coming in while negotiations continue. In his August message, as Noozhawk reported, Flamm wrote that the arena would keep looking for "temporary and permanent locations." The owners say public skating continues through October, so check with the rink for session times.
When a building's appraised value moves far past what a long-term tenant pays, both the owner and the tenant face hard choices. James Gallegos has spent more than three decades working with both owners and occupants of Central Coast commercial and investment property. If you own or lease a building and want to talk through where its value stands, Let's Connect.
