Cleanliness of Pepsi Center questioned
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

With 5,000 to 10,000 people passing through the Pepsi Center on a given day it's not going to stay spotless.

But in the weekly Bee Heard column, some Amherst Bee readers have gone as far as to call the facility "filthy." The center's general manager, Eric Guzdek, responded to their concerns.

"It is frustrating," he said, admitting that after thousands of people walk through the facility, leaving their garbage behind, the center becomes messy.

"Just with the amount of traffic that comes through the facility, it's going to add up," Guzdek said. "The other problem is - people just don't care."

He said he has watched people toss coffee cups and other trash at a garbage can, miss and walk away.

"Its not that we don't do it," he said about cleaning up the center. "We get to it. The place is done top to bottom every morning and then as needed."

The 200,000-square-foot building houses 20 locker rooms and four rinks. It is used 20 hours a day, 362 days a year.

Guzdek said there is a mix of teams that are great about cleaning up and those that aren't.

"People expect others to clean up. But, hey, have some pride in your home facility," he said. "I defend my employees. These guys and girls do a fantastic job."

If there is a problem, Guzdek said people should e-mail him, and his staff will take care of the issue immediately.

"All they have to do it say something, but it's just easier for people to complain," he said.

The Amherst Bee received these comments during the past two months.

On Feb. 13, a parent said, "I have a child who plays Amherst Youth Hockey at the Pepsi Center ..., but there is a problem. It's filthy; I don't even like to sit down and watch his games. Patrons leave their trash everywhere, and ... clean (the) locker rooms. It smells really bad."

In the Feb. 20 edition one reader said, "I am a weekly visitor to the Amherst Pepsi Center, and I witness firsthand the adults and children who leave their cups and garbage right where they sit. What's wrong with these people? Why do they expect others to clean up after them? Regarding the locker rooms, who do you think is making them filthy? It's the users of this facility .... Stop placing the blame on the center when it's the users of the center who are destroying it."

Also in the Feb. 20 edition, "Thank you for the comment about the filth at the Amherst Pepsi Center. They have more than enough businesses and teams paying for ice time there to clean up their locker rooms and the stench that permeates the entire building. Clean it up before someone gets sick."

Many users of the facility say the trash in the bleachers is excessive and the locker rooms have an awful odor.

Guzdek added that the locker rooms are often left in disarray, noting that players, sometimes angry, are in there with hockey sticks.

The Pepsi Center reports that 1.5 million people come through the facility in a year. Teams from around the northeast use the facility for tournaments and league play.

While Guzdek said the staff does their best to clean up after these people, there is only so much they can do when players and visitors don't clean up after themselves.