By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Massena Arena is badly in need of a new roof, Councilman Albert Nicola reported to the town board on Wednesday.

He said although the structure of the roof is okay, the roof itself needs to be replaced.

Water leakage is “starting to affect structure of arena. Patching it isn’t working,” Nicola said.

“Lacrosse games, players are slipping on the wet parts and so on. The roof is beyond its life expectancy, well beyond,” he said. “We’re not going to be able to get through the winter with that roof.”

A Mohawk Medicine Men lacrosse game earlier in the summer had to be canceled because so much water leaked onto the floor that players were unable to safely finish the bout. They are a junior B team from Akwesasne, consisting of players between ages 18 and 20.

Nicola said Recreation Director Mike McCabe is in touch with a roofer in Gouverneur, but they will have to bid the project.

The town will not be stuck with the entire bill, he told his fellow councilmen.

“The mayor feels, he and I talked this morning (July 19), there is money available through grant through parks and recreation, which the arena would certainly qualify as. There is a deadline to submit for that grant of July 28 and the village will take care of that because it’s a 50-50 project … and they’re going to be involved,” Nicola said.