End of the Six-Year Ice Follies

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Even city officials admit that some of the foul-ups were caused by incompetence. But most were the result of the way the city is forced to do business. On any contract above $50,000, a regulation called the Wick's Law says that a minimum of four contractors must be hired, with the business going to the lowest bidders, who may not be the best performers. Trump used ten of his most trusted subcontractors. Said he: "Yes, they worked hard for me because they know there is a lot of work coming at them from us. But they were also the best in the business. We know who can deliver and who can't." Under city rules, any change in a project must be approved by several departments; Trump alone called the shots. Said Frank Ross, Trump's project manager for Wollman: "Don could make a decision in ten minutes that would take one of the city guys two years."

Trump had one other important advantage: he paid the bills. He wrote checks to suppliers and subcontractors as soon as work was completed, without forcing them to wait for payment approvals from the city. Though he did not do it frequently, he was free to pay overtime to meet his deadline, an incentive seldom allowed in city contracts.

Determined to buy the best refrigeration equipment possible, Trump sent a team to Canada, where there are some 4,000 skating rinks. After consulting with Canadian experts, Trump bought brine Freon chillers (cost: $640,000), which are powerful enough to make ice in July. The units were too big to fit through the building's doors, so Trump removed the roof, lowered the machinery inside, then replaced the roof. Trump, a man of expensive tastes, could not resist a luxurious touch: instead of using pine for the rest stands, as the city had planned, he chose polished teak.

The different methods employed by Trump and the city are best illustrated in the building of the skating surface. Trump opted to employ more workers and lay the surface quickly. In a single week his crew installed the pipe and tested it for leaks with water under high pressure. Then, in one day, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., 290 people poured concrete until the floor was done.

Wollman will reopen this week, and later this month there will be an extravaganza with dozens of famous skaters, including Olympians Scott Hamilton and Peggy Fleming. Trump, who will be reimbursed by the city in December for his construction expenses, will operate the rink, though he promises to contribute any profits to charity. But he will not come away empty-handed. The renovated rink improves the view from the five buildings that Trump owns overlooking the park. He has also earned the gratitude of city officials who must approve his future projects, including an $8 billion to $10 billion complex on Manhattan's West Side. No one, however, can accuse him of acting out of self-interest in at least one sense: Donald Trump does not know how to skate.

With reporting by Dean Brelis/New York

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