OFFICIAL - Arena construction

[aknowledgeableperson]

What gets me about the supporters of a downtown arena is their willingness to spend other people's money on something that does not have a definite payback to the City. If they want an arena let them pay for it themselves. It is not that I am negative about it, just realistic and practical. You don't spend over $200,000,000 chasing a pipedream. However, if there is support to build it WITHOUT public dollars then I am all for it. Our public tax dollars can be spent on more appropriate items that the City needs to repair and fix.
The hockey exhibition game was not sold out, no matter what they say. And many of the tickets accounted for were either given away for free or sold as a deep discount.

[phxcat]

Give us sources, give us numbers.

[UMKCgal]

Deadman you took the words out of my mouth!!!! I really don't want to see the Big 12 leave either, especially not to OKC or Dallas. We really need to fight for them to stay..ASAP.

[trailerkid]

Deadman you took the words out of my mouth!!!! I really don't want to see the Big 12 leave either, especially not to OKC or Dallas. We really need to fight for them to stay..ASAP.

Fight to have them stay? After the attendance for the late game tonight the Big XXII will probably chip in to build a new arena downtown.

[KCPowercat]

What gets me about the supporters of a downtown arena is their willingness to spend other people's money on something that does not have a definite payback to the City. If they want an arena let them pay for it themselves. It is not that I am negative about it, just realistic and practical. You don't spend over $200,000,000 chasing a pipedream. However, if there is support to build it WITHOUT public dollars then I am all for it. Our public tax dollars can be spent on more appropriate items that the City needs to repair and fix.
The hockey exhibition game was not sold out, no matter what they say. And many of the tickets accounted for were either given away for free or sold as a deep discount.

I'll throw in some cash....tell me the bank to wire it to.

Seriously, arenas w/o tenants make money for the city. It's proven over and over. It's actually more profitable NOT to have an NHL/NBA team in there. Barnes is looking to build this w/o a public tax increase. Things like rental car taxes could go up there.

[staubio]

What gets me about the supporters of a downtown arena is their willingness to spend other people's money on something that does not have a definite payback to the City. If they want an arena let them pay for it themselves. It is not that I am negative about it, just realistic and practical. You don't spend over $200,000,000 chasing a pipedream. However, if there is support to build it WITHOUT public dollars then I am all for it. Our public tax dollars can be spent on more appropriate items that the City needs to repair and fix.
The hockey exhibition game was not sold out, no matter what they say. And many of the tickets accounted for were either given away for free or sold as a deep discount.

Where any of you that are knocking the NHL exhibition game actually there? If it wasn't sold out, it was darn close. I didn't see any empty seats and the place was loud -- a fun environment indeed. When the announcer said there would be future NHL opportunities in KC, the crowd responded enthusiastically.

[GRID]

"When everybody does a little, we all do a lot"

That is what KC can't figure out.

If the entire metropolitan area funded a new Downtown arena and ballpark it would cost only a few bucks a year per resident, how someone can feel even 20 bucks over 365 days is beyond me.

If we want a better city, than we will have to invest in a better city, PERIOD.

[kansasfarmboy]

be carefull!!!!

you might get accused of "flame baiting" as i did for telling the truth!!!

What gets me about the supporters of a downtown arena is their willingness to spend other people's money on something that does not have a definite payback to the City. If they want an arena let them pay for it themselves. It is not that I am negative about it, just realistic and practical. You don't spend over $200,000,000 chasing a pipedream. However, if there is support to build it WITHOUT public dollars then I am all for it. Our public tax dollars can be spent on more appropriate items that the City needs to repair and fix.
The hockey exhibition game was not sold out, no matter what they say. And many of the tickets accounted for were either given away for free or sold as a deep discount.

[GRID]

be carefull!!!!

you might get accused of "flame baiting" as i did for telling the truth!!!

What gets me about the supporters of a downtown arena is their willingness to spend other people's money on something that does not have a definite payback to the City. If they want an arena let them pay for it themselves. It is not that I am negative about it, just realistic and practical. You don't spend over $200,000,000 chasing a pipedream. However, if there is support to build it WITHOUT public dollars then I am all for it. Our public tax dollars can be spent on more appropriate items that the City needs to repair and fix.
The hockey exhibition game was not sold out, no matter what they say. And many of the tickets accounted for were either given away for free or sold as a deep discount.

The game was sold out. I'm an NHL fan and I won't pay 20-40 bucks to see an exibition game. Most NHL fans won't. So 17k for an exibition game is pretty good.

[ShowME]

Ok ShowMe, this isn't the OKC forums, these are the KC forums. I don't want the Big 12 in OKC over KC no matter what. I don't care what they have going on there, I want my city to thrive.

I hate to say it but I'm actually jealous of OKC's setup. And man 5 years ago I thought I'd never say that. I don't know what the answer is. A vote to the people I feel would fail unless it's linked to an expanded Bartle Hall which seem to do rather well at the polls. The State of Missouri is obviously not willing to help thanks in large part to rural and even St. Louis lawmakers. They fail to realize that we don't want the arena to steal events from St. Louis we need it so downtown KC can be more competitve and generate even more tax money for the state. Anyone have any answers on what ticket surcharges and naming rights could do for a new arena?

[trailerkid]

We need $200 million right?

Well, 20% of the $200 million infrastructure bond has been earmarked for "new projects." If we pool all that and dump the Northland aquatics center, we would have $40 million right there.

It is COMPLETE BS that state money is not in the discussion as StL, the favorite son, gets everything it ever asks for.

[DiggityDawg]

If the entire metropolitan area funded a new Downtown arena and ballpark it would cost only a few bucks a year per resident, how someone can feel even 20 bucks over 365 days is beyond me.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! This is one of the things I NEVER understand when public financing of projects like this comes up...how people start in with the "Well, MY taxdollars aren't gonna pay for stuff like this!!!" junk. It's a freakin' drop in the bucket - a penny here & a penny there, people. If $20 either makes or breaks you in a given year, you've got WAY bigger problems to worry about.

[Downtowner]

Tara Green, a Dallas representative of their tournament, was quoted as saying the tournament means about $30 million in economic impact. To lose this entirely would be foolish...we need to buck up and build this. As Posnaski pointed out in his column today, Kemper is a joke in the music business as well. So we are losing concerts and sporting events because Kemper is such a dump. St Louis built their dome without an NFL team....it came calling a few years later. We have to build this and at least have the opportunity to land events.

[WILDCAT NATION]

"When everybody does a little, we all do a lot"

That is what KC can't figure out.

If the entire metropolitan area funded a new Downtown arena and ballpark it would cost only a few bucks a year per resident, how someone can feel even 20 bucks over 365 days is beyond me.

If we want a better city, than we will have to invest in a better city, PERIOD.

Well, I'm getting ready to witness Missouri residents vote down a tax levy that will force numerous school closings, so nothing surprises me anymore..

[KC Kropf]

How many people do you think we could get to donate $20, $40, $1000, $10000 for a new arena?? Lets have a telathon, people can call in and pledge money. We could get local celebs...

Lets stand on street corners with buckets and collect coins. Lets make a dent in the $200M OURSELVES... Lets start a website kcdowntownarenaNOW.com

[KCDevin]

I was thinking the city could put donation boxes around the city in stores and stuff where people can put their extra change. Like 10% of the money collected will go to charity.

[aknowledgeableperson]

If you want to know how many tickets were sold to the NHL exhibition game all you have to do is inquire with the City has to the User Fee collected for the game. The City collects $1.00 for each ticket sold. I believe you will find out the amount is quite a bit less than the arena's capacity for hockey. Why not ask the promoter to prove his statement that it was sold out and ask how many tickets were sold and the gross ticket sales were. Let him announce the actual numbers and show the copy of the Ticketmaster report.

What arenas make money without the NBA and/or the NHL? Where is your proof. I have seen financial reports for many large arenas and they do not make money without a prime tenant. An exception would be an arena in a Metro area quite larger than Kansas City.

[KCPowercat]

akp.....I don't have the source on that, just one of those things I hear....contacting the sports commission or Soren Petro of 810 could point you to the source, that's where I hear it from.

The reasoning is you don't have an NBA/NHL team taking up prime dates and taking some of the profits....w/o them you have more open dates and the events coming in give the city more revenue.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Kansas City doesn't lose concerts because of Kemper. Kemper loses concerts to Verizon in Bonner Springs, not having open dates because of other events in Kemper. Within the last few years Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, Yanni, Cher, Prince Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones and many others have appeared in Kemper. Even Garth Brooks had 4 consecutive sellouts. Not all cities get all concert acts. Routing concerts is a very difficult process.
True Kemper is old but is still doable. One of its problems is that the area sometimes doesn't sell tickets like other cities. And don't blame the location. If people want to go to an event they will go to Kemper.

[KCPowercat]

Kemper has outlived it's usefullness in most people's opinion. I'm not sure if Kemper has cost us concerts or not, I don't set them up.

A new arena located around 13th & Grand would also greatly help the convention business in KC.