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<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; The Mohegan Sun Arena is on track to surpass its budgeted profit for a third straight year, according to its general manager.</p><p>Brian Sipe, general manager with SMG, the company that runs the arena, delivered the news Wednesday at the monthly public meeting of the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority.</p><p>Sipe said the arena is projected to come in $147,000 over budget and exceed the $600,000 mark for net income from operations for a third consecutive year. SMG budgeted $474,000 in net income from operations in 2018. The projected total will be approximately $622,000, Sipe said.</p><p>Sipe also told authority members that Carrie Grantuskas was promoted by SMG to assistant general manager from finance director.</p><p>Authority member Hal Bloss attributed the arena&#8217;s success to its management.</p><p>&#8220;I think that the elevation of Carrie to the assistant position is an example of why that&#8217;s happening, because of the diligence of SMG and their employees. So I&#8217;d just like to compliment them on their work and hope that we could continue to have these kind of years,&#8221; Bloss said.</p><p>In a progress report on the ice floor, Mike Wilczynski, arena operations manager for SMG, said cracks in the concrete that was poured last year have been repaired. There have been some adjustments made to the ice dam that surrounds the floor and into which the dasher boards are anchored, he said.</p><p>&#8220;But other than that, we should be ready to go, right on schedule, for making ice next week,&#8221; Wilczynski said.</p><p>The first preseason game for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team is Sept. 27. The authority is still in the process of negotiating a new contract with the team that is the anchor tenant at the arena, said authority chairman Ed Harry.</p><p>Discussions are also underway for the naming rights and the management contracts, Harry said.</p><p>In other business:</p><p>&#8226; The authority approved a contract with Procom Corp. of Jessup, Md., to provide digital two-way radios for a total cost of $75,630. Procom was the lowest of three bidders that responded to a request for proposals.</p><p>&#8226; Neal DeAngelo joined the authority after Luzerne County Council voted to appoint him to fill the seat vacated by Dave Capin. DeAngelo will serve on the finance and policy and procedures committees.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township.   </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_TTL092917arena-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township.   </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Mohegan Sun Arena projects higher than budgeted income for 2018