Work on the Islanders’ arena at Belmont Park stopped on Friday as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo halted all nonessential construction in the state
Melissa DeRosa, secretary to Gov. Cuomo, made the initial announcement on Friday morning and Gov. Cuomo addressed it during his daily press conference in New York City.
NEW: @melissadderosa says Economic State Development Corporation will revise guidelines and END non-essential construction in New York State. Specific designation of what is deemed “essential” is forthcoming.
— Zack Fink (@ZackFinkNews) March 27, 2020
The governor did not specify how long the ban on nonessential construction will last. According to the Empire State Development Corp website, “essential construction may continue and includes roads, bridges, transit facilities, utilities, hospitals or health care facilities, affordable housing, and homeless shelters.”
Live webcam video on the Islanders’ website showed that no work was going on at the Belmont site on Friday. The arena is slated to open in time for the 2021-22 NHL season, but the delay could impact the open date.
Construction at Belmont began in August it is expected to take 26 months to complete.
A delay could force the Islanders to extend their stay at Nassau Coliseum, where the team will return to full-time starting next season until their new arena is complete. Gov. Cuomo announced the Islanders would be playing all home dates next season at Nassau Coliseum at the end of February.
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