New Arena Article

[Gato78]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwauk...51.html?ipad=y

I just don't think this is going to happen. There is no way the State Legislature will approve a new tax and it is unaffordable for the County and/or City to go it alone. I am not surprised by the substance of the article or the NBA's psotion regarding the Bucks franchise. You might think the BC is just fine but it is soon to be the oldest and smallest arena in the NBA.

[MU88]

I don't think its an issue. It will happen. The debate is how many hands will feed at the public trough. Do the math, you have $200 million from current and former ownership. If you go by what Ottawa and Sacramento received for naming rights, you have debt service on another $75 million or so. A facility fee of $4 per ticket, a reasonable number, translates to over $4 million a year, maybe close to $5 million with added Bucks and event tickets sold (BC had around 1.1 million pass through its turnstyles). That, in turn, also translates into around another $75 million in debt service. So, with no public funds, we are at $350 million, for roughly $400 million building. City, of course, will donate the site and site preparations. Now, you are talking a public financing packing probably in the $35 million range, if we we just talking about an arena. The problem is, they city and public interest groups want cash for the zoo, a new PAC, park upkeep, etc. That is what the holdup will be. Money for the arena? We are almost there. Money to placate the free spending public officials? We still have a ways to go.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

I really think including an updated convention center should be part of the package. It will help draw events to Milwaukee and reinvigorate downtown. It might help with funding as well if the political side can see added public use benefits.

[TedBaxter]

I still favor the site north of the Bradley Center and it's close enough to Wisconsin Avenue and the convention center.

[mufan2003]

I still favor the site north of the Bradley Center and it's close enough to Wisconsin Avenue and the convention center.

Agree with this proposed location. Miller Park is state-of-the art and has provided a great social outing for those that do not even like baseball. A new state-of-the-art basketball venue in Milwaukee will do the same and keep Milwaukee headed in the right direction as a growing, vibrant city with things to do. Have to get it done.

[TedBaxter]

I really think including an updated convention center should be part of the package. It will help draw events to Milwaukee and reinvigorate downtown. It might help with funding as well if the political side can see added public use benefits.

One thing that they could do to tie the convention center together with the new arena is to continue the skywalk/skybridge that currently connects the convention center and the Hyatt and eventually to the new arena.

Run the skywalk west along Kilbourn and then cross Kilbourn going between the MECCA and the Milwaukee Theatre. There's a one story connector between the two that the skywalk would go over. The skywalk could continue over State Street diagonally so it would skirt the southwest side of the Bradley Center. It would then continue between the MATC parking ramp and the west side of the Bradley Center until it ultimately gets to the new arena. So basically, parking ramps, hotels, the convention center, the MECCA, Milwaukee Theatre, Bradley Center, MATC and the new arena could all be connected with a glass connector that could be used at times of inclement weather and it would all be accessible. This way you could link the arena project in with any improvements with the convention center.

[The Reptile]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwauk...51.html?ipad=y

I just don't think this is going to happen. There is no way the State Legislature will approve a new tax and it is unaffordable for the County and/or City to go it alone. I am not surprised by the substance of the article or the NBA's psotion regarding the Bucks franchise. You might think the BC is just fine but it is soon to be the oldest and smallest arena in the NBA.

It's always going to be newer and larger than Madison Square Garden. Also, the new arena in Brooklyn is not all that big - 17,700 for basketball even if it is new. Somehow, I think the NBA's objections are glamour not are a size. Let's face it, Milwaukee is not sexy to the players, that is until the rap scene improves.

[BLT]

Barrett wants it on Wisconsin Ave. so then he doesn't have to pay for the utilities relo for his light rail plan which he just lost a ruling on. He wants to go east on new entertainment development, not north.

[Goose85]

If the state legislature would agree to take the money the state will need to kick into the BC over the next 10 to 15 years to fix issues and maintain the facility, and put that toward the new Arena ( assuming the state will tear down the BC), then the financing gets pretty close. I think within the last few years the state has put in over $10 million on the BC.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

Let's put it this way, I don't know exactly how, but they will somehow figure out how to get a new arena done, it will just take lots of posturing and threats before they come up with a solution in the 11th hour.