It’s officially “Crunch Time” for fans of the Syracuse Crunch hockey team at the Oncenter’s newly-renovated War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, NY.  The facility recently completed an $8.5 million transformation designed to enhance fan experiences with luxury amenities. Along with American League hockey, a line-up of star-studded events ranging from concerts to professional wrestling matches are planned for the 6,230-seat multi-purpose arena.  It now serves as a state-of-the-art backdrop for all types of live performances after becoming increasingly obsolete in both design and function since it opened in 1951.

As only one of two arenas in the NHL and AHL that did not have box suites and VIP experience, the entire project was completed with spectacular results last October just in time for the Crunch’s opening home game. Immediately after entering the newly renovated arena, fans are now instantly greeted by the new state-of-the-art, high-definition scoreboard, surrounding 15-ft. screens and full 360-degree ribbon lighting. Built with the same technology used by top stadiums and arenas around the country, this is the first time in the Crunch’s 26-year history that attendees will have the opportunity to watch replays, graphics and player features throughout the game. Other upgrades include six new luxury boxes, state-of-the-art lighting from Ephesus, a digital marquee and restrooms newly updated and styled in the team’s blue colors.

As a result, everyone who enters the arena no longer recognizes the “Old Barn.” The entire experience is far brighter and festive and now even includes new seating emblazoned with the Crunch logo and a look and feel that shouts Crunch blue throughout the facility. This extends from the building’s rafters to the new stalls in every one of our restrooms.

Having used Scranton Products restroom partitions over the years at other venues including the county’s civic center and board of elections building, Amanda Oberlender of the Onondaga County Dept. of Facilities Management & Construction and Office Planning Unit and her team chose the company’s Hiny Hiders™. This new color in the Bold Collection nicely matches the team and stadium’s blue shades. According to Oberlender, this selection was based on aesthetics, proven durability, low maintenance features and value. In addition, no other partition manufacturer came close to the blue shade that matched their design vision for the arena’s 12 restrooms.

A leading provider of unique and attractive interior partitions for the past 25 years, Scranton Products offers an assortment of HDPE products in a variety of colors and textures. The company’s custom color matching and engraving capabilities are popular features that attract many educational facilities and institutions due to their ability to boldly reinforce the school’s spirit and team pride.

In addition, Hiny Hiders partitions never need painting. Unlike metal partitions which are subject to rust, Hiny Hiders offer superior resistance to dents, scratches, graffiti, corrosion, mildew and moisture. Another benefit is that they are very easy to clean and naturally resistant to bacteria, while carrying a 25-year warranty.

With regular cleaning, Scranton Products’ full line of HDPE partitions can reduce regular maintenance and long-term replacement costs. General soiling can be easily removed with mild cleansers and water. Since plastic is a solid composite, it does not allow absorption or retaining of moisture or water. These characteristics eliminate moisture damage and rust, making them ideal for power-washing or hose-down cleaning. Eventually, these partitions can avoid landfills at their perceived end-of-life, as HDPE is 100% recyclable.

“It’s been a really busy year,” said Frank Lefevre, Oncenter’s manager of operations. “The Crunch made the playoffs resulting in quite a few sellout crowds. This normally creates a lot of extra work for my operations and maintenance teams. After an event, we typically generate two to three work orders a day for cleanups and repairs for damaged chairs or faulty products. But since we installed Hiny Hiders, we have not created a single work order for the partitions. They’re easy to clean and perform well night after night. In fact, during the season, no one has even given them a second thought, which is exactly the way we like it.”

Oberlander enjoys hearing feedback like this from the Oncenter’s arena staff.  “Serving the general public during events like hockey games is not an easy assignment for any restroom,” adds Oberlender. “Like other sports environments, The War Memorial arena is subjected to punishment. But we are confident we made the right choice given our experience with the durability and performance of Hiny Hiders partitions over the years. They have never let us down under the most intense conditions and we’re certain they will perform for the long haul.”