Business View Magazine | March 2018

57 and cultural spaces; a pro shop; and retail and food services.“So,we actuallyachieved what theYardmen wanted to do,originally,”says Lyng. In 2015,the Belleville Bulls were acquired bya newowner whomoved the team to Hamilton and renamed them theHamilton Bulldogs.“Whenwe lost our OHLteam,the citywas inmourning,”Lyng re- counts.Luckily,for a hockey town like Belleville,suitors were soon lining up to take over theYardmenArena home ice,assuming the presence of an eager fan base. “Ten different teams came knocking at our door when theyheardwe werewithout a team,”he adds.The town finallysettled on the Binghamton Senators of the AmericanHockeyLeague,who said theywouldmove fromNewYorkand sign an eight-year lease,provided the citywouldmake substantial improvements to the Yardmen. Belleville agreed to renovate theArena at a cost of $20.5million.TheYardmen grewits seating capaci- ty from3217to 4400 and its ice rinkwas upgraded to NHLstandards.Other improvements included an expanded and renovated home teamdressing room,