OFFICIAL - Arena construction

[KC Kropf]

Fleet Center: 15 years for $30M for naming rights. Others similar, even without a major league team.

And Block does hold the rights to naming the new arena. It was part of them coming downtown.

[aknowledgeableperson]

The car rental tax was to go to the Convention Center for operating purposes.
All taxes, before they are voted on locally, have to be approved by the State.

[aknowledgeableperson]

With regards to the ticket surcharge it is just like the current User Fee charged and collected at Kemper and the Convention Center. It is used to pay for debt service for bonds issued to pay for improvements.
Which brings another issue that has to be dealt with. If an arena is built downtown and many events more from Kemper to the new arena then less User Fee will be collected at Kemper. For I believe 20 more years the City has to pay off bonds issued for the improvements to Kemper. Without that income then the City's General Fund will have to pick up the difference. And that will have to come from a budget that is already tight. And of course there are the bonds for the Kemper Garage that have to be paid off by revenues. Without the revenues from parking for the events moved to the new arena the City's General Fund will need to pick up the difference.
Just other items to consider.

[aknowledgeableperson]

It is not guaranteed that an arena that is privately managed will break even. There are many that are not. In fact no contracts will guarantee a break-even situation. Even if there is an operating profit what about debt service?
I hate to be so negative because for many reasons Kemper is outdated and at the wrong location but the issue is very complicated and much of the discussion in this area and in the Star simplifies the situation. I am negative since the City has many financial needs that probably should be fixed before it takes on the expense of an Arena. Besides $200,000,000 will not be enough to do it right.

[trailerkid]

the City has many financial needs that probably should be fixed before it takes on the expense of an Arena.

Just like Posnanski said...
So at what point will "things be fixed?" Will we "fix all of KC's problems" in 2 years? Or maybe 12? Maybe everything will never be "fixed" so I guess the arena will just wait until then. Sounds like a plan.

Proactive, not reactive.

[KCPowercat]

I'm done with akp.....nothing but excuses...no solutions. He/she may say they aren't trying to just be negative but we can all see through it.

My guess is they don't know how half the things they are talking about are financed.

Nowhere has rental car taxes been talked about for the convention center.

Soon enough the mayor's plan will come out and we will see. I don't have time to argue hypotheticals....I simply threw out a sample financing plan....it's not like the mayor looked and said "sounds good, we'll go with it"...come on man.

[WILDCAT NATION]

I honestly don't know, but is there anyway that this could be incorporated with the entertainment district..as in, the arena would have features of the entertainment district built into it, and thus have space for lease, etc...

What I would envision would be restaurants (ESPNZone) etc... built right into the arena...I believe they did the same sort of thing with AAC in Dallas.

If they are gonna do this thing, I hope they do it right!

[KC Kropf]

Mixed-Use Arena sounds like a great plan! I have even thought about having one of the Sports Talk Stations build their offices into the arena, with a glass walled studio where you watch live radio talk from the streets of the entertainment district.

I think they should have come up with a plan to incorporate the NCAA or Big 12 offices into a new arena (back in the day when we were still talking about a new arena and losing those 2 organizations). Imagine an new arena with the "NCAA Hall of Champions" and NCAA HQ built into the structure creating year round revenues.

As with what to do today?? I would love to see an ESPN Zone, and other such places as apart of the arena.

Would any of the Sports Architecture firms of KC be interested in building their offices into a state of the art arena to showcase to the world??

All would be nice

[DiggityDawg]

Mixed-Use Arena sounds like a great plan! I have even thought about having one of the Sports Talk Stations build their offices into the arena, with a glass walled studio where you watch live radio talk from the streets of the entertainment district.

Don't hold your breath on that one...WHB just built expensive new studios waaaaay out south a couple years ago, & 61 Sports is part of a big radio congolmerate that has it's own building. And by the time an arena would be built it's highly likely 61 Sports won't even be around.

[KC Kropf]

I thought that 810 leases, I know they didn't build the complex that they are in.

[KCDevin]

ahh, just imagine the crowds we are getting now walking around downtown and the KC Live district

[GRID]

First off, this is not an inferior KC issue or an arena vs. stadium issue. KC is Big XII country and so far has NO rival when it comes to hosting the tournament...the arena itself is another topic.

Interestingly enough, the tournament in Dallas and KU's appearace on Friday is producing a damn-near firestorm of arena talk in the local sports world. Quotes from Eddie Sutton and the Big 12 commish mentioning a new arena in KC have been added as regular promo spots on 61Sports.

There are also threads emanating from Jayhawk country on Phog.net...
http://mb13.theinsiders.com/fkansasinsi ... 1543.topic

http://mb13.theinsiders.com/fkansasinsi ... 1567.topic

I am impressed by these threads. They are civil and are not slamming KCMO, at least any more than it deserves. There is hope… BARNES!!!!! Come on!

[LyRiCaL GanGsTa]

[KCDevin]

I can't remember, who will they have design the arena? Probably HOK...

[ShowME]

hate to be so negative because for many reasons Kemper is outdated and at the wrong location but the issue is very complicated and much of the discussion in this area and in the Star simplifies the situation. I am negative since the City has many financial needs that probably should be fixed before it takes on the expense of an Arena.

The city has many financial needs that probably should be fixed before it takes on the expense of an arena. Yea well so do the cities of Omaha, Des Moines, St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Denver....do I need to go on? Unless you can talk those cities into dismantling there arenas then what's your point? $200 million is more than enough for a new arena as long as the land is donated. Hell you could probably get a local firm to design the damn thing on the cheap. They understand the lack of leadership and how stupid the general voting electorate is in this city. Trust me in the late 1960's there were plenty of shitty schools, streets in disrepair heck KC had some serious race riots still going on but yet we still built the Truman Sports Complex.

[aknowledgeableperson]

I'm done with akp.....nothing but excuses...no solutions. He/she may say they aren't trying to just be negative but we can all see through it.

My guess is they don't know how half the things they are talking about are financed.

Nowhere has rental car taxes been talked about for the convention center.

Soon enough the mayor's plan will come out and we will see. I don't have time to argue hypotheticals....I simply threw out a sample financing plan....it's not like the mayor looked and said "sounds good, we'll go with it"...come on man.

Just trying to be realistic. If you go back to discussions about 18 months to 2 years ago there were proposals to impose a tax on car rentals from KCI (where most car rentals are) that would go to the Convention Center. Of course you are only concerned with the dream of a downtown arena, and my interest happens to be city wide. If you would study the City's budget like I have for many years you will see what I am talking about. Also have spent much time studying arenas and convention centers around the country because this city needs to do, whatever they will do in the future, it needs to do it right the first time instead of trying to correct a mistake afterwards.
So are you insulting me because maybe I do know more than you? Are are you just frustrated?

[aknowledgeableperson]

hate to be so negative because for many reasons Kemper is outdated and at the wrong location but the issue is very complicated and much of the discussion in this area and in the Star simplifies the situation. I am negative since the City has many financial needs that probably should be fixed before it takes on the expense of an Arena.

The city has many financial needs that probably should be fixed before it takes on the expense of an arena. Yea well so do the cities of Omaha, Des Moines, St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Denver....do I need to go on? Unless you can talk those cities into dismantling there arenas then what's your point? $200 million is more than enough for a new arena as long as the land is donated. Hell you could probably get a local firm to design the damn thing on the cheap. They understand the lack of leadership and how stupid the general voting electorate is in this city. Trust me in the late 1960's there were plenty of shitty schools, streets in disrepair heck KC had some serious race riots still going on but yet we still built the Truman Sports Complex.

The City did not build the Truman Sports Complex - Jackcon County did. And you say $200,000,000 is enough. Well, if the funds were enough back then we would have a rolling roof at the complex. If you are impressed with the arena in Dallas then be willing to spend over $400,000,000.

[ShowME]

OK so delete Kansas City and put Jackson County in there. Jackson County had problems as well back in the late 60's. Face it we're always going to have problems. Sure I'm impressed with the American Airlines Center in Dallas but heck I'm impressed with the Qwest Center in Omaha, the Ford Center in OKC. We don't have to spend $400 million on an arena that has marble floors and lockers that each have there own flat screen. I would take the Qwest Center in Omaha +3,000 seats and plop it in downtown KC in a heartbeat.

[KCPowercat]

So are you insulting me because maybe I do know more than you? Are are you just frustrated?

Wasn't trying to insult you. I guess frustration would be a good term. People that never offer solutions and just shoot holes in everything frustrate me. It's not like that was a real budget for the arena, just something I threw together....I think you took it a little too seriously.

[KC_JAYHAWK]

The KU dopes want an arena here so they don't have to drive/fly so far.
If we do build a stadium here, we need to toll booth I-35 north into the city and tax the morons out of thier skull.

Everythings civil until this $*&# decides to give his zero cents. I'll refrain from name calling, leave that to the less civilized and intelligent forumers