Kohl/Arena Discussion Page 71 - Study Released

[Badgerlander]

How come I can't see this picture without thinking of the movie Total Recall?

[JayMKE]

i'm not sure what 5 amateur sports domes even means

[MickeyDavis]

By mid-2014, the community needs to have a good idea of what role the private and public sector will play in the construction of a new, multipurpose arena in Milwaukee.

That’s the opinion of Timothy Sheehy, the president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, who said Thursday that he plans to form a task force by Jan. 1 to begin the long process of fact-gathering needed to help the community make a decision on whether a new arena can be built to replace the aging BMO Harris Bradley Center.

Sheehy, who knows full well the bruising debate that erupted in Milwaukee and Madison over the financing and construction of Miller Park, says the task force will consist of business leaders in the area. The community, he emphasized, will play a role and be given opportunities to express their opinion as well.

The catalyst for the task force is the new six-year lease the Milwaukee Bucks signed with the BMO Harris Bradley Center. That, plus an $18 million sponsorship commitment from major corporations as well as a $5 million state grant, has bought time to allow fact gathering and decision making to begin.

“That gives us some breathing room to focus on the next step,” Sheehy said Thursday in an interview.

“We need to start a dialog about the value of being one of 30 cities with an NBA brand,” he added. “We think there is value in that brand globally. It attracts talent to Milwaukee and it is an economic driver. We will be exploring all of the options."

As part of that fact-gathering, Sheehy said some business leaders plan to visit the Barclays Center, the new home of the Brooklyn Nets.

“There are a lot of questions that need to be answered,” he said. “What are the benefits and economics of a new arena? What should be the private sector share? How do you involve the public sector? Will it be a sales tax, or a combination of things?”

The linchpin of the financing plan for Miller Park is the 0.1% stadium sales tax, which is collected in Waukesha, Washington, Racine, Milwaukee and Ozaukee Counties. That tax has been collected since 1996. Its scheduled sunset date is not known, but consultants believe it could be 2017.

In Brown County, taxpayers there pay a 0.5% sales tax that partly financed the $293 million makeover of Lambeau Field in 2003.

The Bucks will play a role as well. U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), the owner of the Bucks, has said he will make a personal financial commitment toward a new arena. But the Bucks also have a role to play in terms of what a new arena, should one be built, needs to have.

“We have been talking to the team,” Sheehy said. “The Bucks have a big stake in this. They have to set the parameters of what they need to be a successful franchise.”

If a decision is made to move forward, Sheehy said work could potentially begin in 2015.

On Friday, Sheehy and other business leaders will officially open the BMO Harris Bradley Center for its first Bucks season under its new name.

[JayMKE]

That sounds like a great idea, and it fits into Milwaukee's unnatural but endearing fascination with domes.

Awesome point, we already have three domes built, let's just clean all the weeds out of there, put in some seats, track lighting, and we are good to go.

lol that would be a cool concept for a basketball arena.

but it's good to hear they're at least talking about the Bucks. There is no excuse to not get this done, we'll see what happens when this turns into a political debate however.

[WEFFPIM]

There is something to be said about this being one of the few times that MANY people have been discussing a new building.

[gbmb34]

This is what I want:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2RjBB3PWrs

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

This is what I want:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2RjBB3PWrs

Seems a little extravagant for the Wave.

[trwi7]

My favorite tweets in all of that are the ones from the chick who wanted more ethnic and gender diversity from the speakers.

That's the same hippie bitching about the environment. We could build 5 Tacoma Domes because who doesn't want this in their city?

[trwi7]

This is what I want:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2RjBB3PWrs

Seems a little extravagant for the Wave.

You were obviously in Minneapolis or Spokane a few years ago when Peter Wilt and Marty Greenberg were trying to get an MLS expansion team. He actually secured around 8,000 season tickets through a deal with the WYSA and they tried to buy land in the Park East and in the Menomonee Valley IIRC but it never happened obviously. It obviously wouldn't be as big as the Dynamo Moscow stadium. I think pretty much every new MLS arena seats around 20,000 and was built for around $100 million. I bet they would be interested in trying to get an expansion team again if they could use this sports/entertainment area to build a soccer stadium.

Thinking about it though I don't really see the need for 5 domes or whatever it is. Soccer stadium, tear down the BC, new basketball/hockey arena and maybe a smaller arena of like 3,000-5,000 to hold high school tournaments and stuff like that or something. Or make it like a 8,000-10,000 seat arena to replace the Cell.

[Shinyhubcaps]

I'm excited to hear multiple people talking about this. Obviously it comes after the lease news, so let's see how much momentum this has, say, one year from today.

A minor league sports complex is interesting. Anything that paints Milwaukee as a sports town is a good thing. I was watching the Dew Tour on NBC Sports and they were listing all of the good skateboarding cities, and it occurred to me: Milwaukee isn't anybody's typical example of a great ______ city.

Maybe a great beer city, but that's about it. We have GREAT restaurants, but no one really talks about them... it seems that Milwaukee is being pulled in all different directions to be an OK-to-good city for lots of things instead of being a great city for one or more things.

[trwi7]

http://media2.620wtmj.com/WAN/110212_tax.mp3

[Shinyhubcaps]

Here is the article that they reference in the interview above:

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/pr ... sible.html

Basically a referendum could happen within Milwaukee County. In the proposal, there will be no tax for the outlying counties, which means that the current version of the stadium tax won't be extended.

[Shinyhubcaps]

Here's a slideshow from the Milwaukee Business Journal showing off the converted suites, sponsor gates, and some new signage.

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/bl ... ge_gallery

[ReddWing]

All this talk of a new arena excites me. It also gives me anxiety. I have a hard time believing that the Milwaukee area will agree to any new tax, regardless of how small it is. On one side of the political aisle, we have the suburban Republicans who appear to hate Milwaukee and will grandstand on being anti-tax. On the other side, we have the blue-collar Democrats who think they shouldn't have to pay for anything and that those evil '1 percenters' should pay their fair share---ie. Kohl paying for a new arena out of pocket. You have a segment of people that think the Bucks should stay at the BC because it's relatively new--13 years older than Miller Park and the fact that it was donated as a gift. These people don't understand the economics of the NBA and frankly don't care to learn. I love this city but the Milwaukee area is filled with stubborn old/middle-aged people that I think would rather see the Bucks move to Seattle/Vegas/KC than cough up a few cents when they go to a restaurant. They don't go to games, so screw the rest of us that enjoy basketball and all the people who work there. Just read any comment section on JS, 1250, or listen to what people say when the topic is brought up on the radio. It's borderline cruel and mean spirited. Of course these bandwagoners just love themselves some Brewers baseball and Miller Park, forgetting how close a battle that was.

Hopefully, by the time they are serious about this that the politics quiet down and the economy improves. The good thing is that Kohl isn't going to sell to somebody seeking to move the team. He is also on record of saying they he will contribute to a new arena and it will be substantial. His contributions and naming rights could take a nice chunk out of the burden to the taxpayer. Marquette could also contribute to the new arena as well. They have a large, wealthy fanbase and I doubt they want to be stuck in the outdated BC for decades. Marquette basketball is top 15 in NCAA attendance. They require an NBA sized arena too. UWM students just passed a $160 million referendum to pay more for a new student union. Marquette alumni and students are wealthier and more proud in my opinion than those at UWM. They have to be interested in a state of the art new arena too.

[gbmb34]

Agree with ReddWing.

There HAS to be a creative way to get a fairly wealthy Marquette alumni base to contribute in some way.

[BUCKnation]

Agree with ReddWing.

There HAS to be a creative way to get a fairly wealthy Marquette alumni base to contribute in some way.

Ive always thought that too. Considering Im sure MU will want to use it, get some boosters involved.

[EastSideBucksFan]

So, what do I do when I win the Powerball tonight?

Do I purchase the Bucks from Herb Kohl or do I pay for a new arena?

I don't think I'll be able to do both.

Please advise immediately.

[BUCKnation]

So, what do I do when I win the Powerball tonight?

Do I purchase the Bucks from Herb Kohl or do I pay for a new arena?

I don't think I'll be able to do both.

Please advise immediately.

Go to vegas and put it all on black.

[trwi7]

Well the first thing you should do is give me $50 million to be your advisor. I'll advise you on what to do with the rest of it after I receive my money.

[KeyRabbit]

Buy more lottery tickets. Win all of them.