Mayor Jim Diodati says he's concerned about what he saw in a recent YouTube video showing inside the former - and now closed - Niagara Falls Memorial Arena.

"That video just came to my attention this past week and I'm going to have to ask our fire chief and our building standards (officials) where they're at with making sure that place is secured," he said in an interview following Tuesday night's city council meeting.

Diodati said he is also going to speak with other city staff to find out more about the ownership status of the Centre Street building, and what options are out there for redevelopment of the property.

A 30-minute video posted two weeks ago to YouTube under the account name Freaktography takes viewers inside the building.

A mattress and clothes are found in what was once the press-box area, while a tent is set up near what was once a concession stand.

In one area, a naloxone kit is found, along with a bag of marijuana.

The blue arena seats remain in place and the main floor area is still filled with sand sculptures, as part of an exhibit that was on display in the building before it closed.

Diodati said the owners of the property have been leasing the parking lot to a local parking entrepreneur.

The arena was decommissioned and declared surplus to the city's needs in June 2010 after Gale Centre was built.

Russian-based consortium V2 Niagara bought the property from the city in January 2012 for about $1 million and made repairs and upgrades.

The consortium opened the International Sand Sculptures Exhibition there in August 2013. The world's top sand sculptors were brought to the city to create War of 1812-themed displays depicting people, places and events. Three thousand tonnes of sand was used to create 25 sculptures.

The exhibit, however, wasn't successful enough and the offshore owner put the building and its contents up for sale in November 2014.

V2 Niagara officials could not be reached by telephone and did not return an email request for an interview Wednesday.

A couple of years ago, the property was mentioned as a possible site for a Titanic museum, an idea backed by a group of local venture capitalists. At the time, proponents said the facility would give visitors the chance to experience what it might have been like to be on the doomed ship that sank April 14, 1912, after colliding with an iceberg.

David van Velzen, who spearheaded the Titanic project first announced in January 2017, said Wednesday proponents are in the middle of negotiating for space in Niagara Falls. He said they are talking with three groups and the former arena is "still in play."

The original goal was for the museum to open earlier this year.

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"I wish I had more to tell you, but it's a unique situation in that there's not a lot of inventory to buy and there's not a lot of places that can house this that exists currently," said van Velzen.

The 69-year-old building once hosted junior-A hockey teams Niagara Falls Flyers and Thunder, along with the junior-B Canucks.

Diodati said the city would like to see the owners either develop the property or sell it for development.

"But to have it sit there as a vacant arena/sand sculpture display, it's kind of sad to see this place, where some of the greatest players in NHL history played, reduced to this."

Diodati said while he does not condone people trespassing on private property, he hopes the YouTube video will draw attention to the building.

"Hopefully some entrepreneur will see it and get some idea that this is a great place to redevelop. Certainly, we need more parking, there's no question about it, and I'd rather see that be something other than a vacant arena right now because it looks like heck - it's a real eyesore."

Raymond.Spiteri@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1645 | @RaySpiteri

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