Arena Construction - Make pitch for ASG in 22/23. pg 95

[drew881]

Milwaukee Theatre woes continue getting upstaged by another venue:

[MickeyDavis]

The last debate was at the Theater. But yeah, it's still way underused. For the 4 month period March through June there are 9 events other than the usual graduations. 2.25 per month.

[EastSideBucksFan]

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2016/02/bucks-detailed-arenaplans-may-be-ready-by-mid.html?ana=twt

Have they been on time for anything?

Not a subscriber so I couldn't read to much of the article.

Have a copy of the physical paper this morning.

The Bucks have to submit the application for the plans to be approved on March 1. They then still have 2-3 weeks to actually submit the plans to the city for the approval.

On Monday, the 4th St closure goes to committee again and it sounds like there will be a vote, but I'm not 100% sure on the vote yet.

[MickeyDavis]

Good God, get on with it already. Next thing we'll hear is that the fall 2018 opening date is in jeopardy.

[0BobLobLaw0]

http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/2016/02/bucks-detailed-arenaplans-may-be-ready-by-mid.html?ana=twt

Have they been on time for anything?

Not a subscriber so I couldn't read to much of the article.

Have a copy of the physical paper this morning.

The Bucks have to submit the application for the plans to be approved on March 1. They then still have 2-3 weeks to actually submit the plans to the city for the approval.

On Monday, the 4th St closure goes to committee again and it sounds like there will be a vote, but I'm not 100% sure on the vote yet.

How detailed do the plans have to be? As detailed as the tile for the bathroom, light fixtures, carpet etc....?

[trwi7]

If they plan on breaking ground in summer, I would imagine the details on everything need to be done.

[drew881]

The last debate was at the Theater. But yeah, it's still way underused. For the 4 month period March through June there are 9 events other than the usual graduations. 2.25 per month.

Was it? I'm not local but I saw in press from yesterday mentioning that it was at UWM in a different auditorium... odd

[trwi7]

The Republican debate in November I think it was was at the Theater. The debate last night was at the Helen Bader Concert Hall on the UWM campus.

[Finn]

If they plan on breaking ground in summer, I would imagine the details on everything need to be done.

I wouldn't think so. It's got to take a long time to get from the golden shovel to laying tiles & adding bathroom fixtures.

[drew881]

The Republican debate in November I think it was was at the Theater. The debate last night was at the Helen Bader Concert Hall on the UWM campus.

Felt like I was taking crazy pills.

[EastSideBucksFan]

City of Milwaukee has approved 4th St. plaza closure.


http://www.jsonline.com/business/bucks-arena-plaza-for-n-4th-st-wins-early-city-approval-b99670439z1-368872221.html

[MadBlueEdwards]

City of Milwaukee has approved 4th St. plaza closure.


http://www.jsonline.com/business/bucks-arena-plaza-for-n-4th-st-wins-early-city-approval-b99670439z1-368872221.html

Looks like there are still some hoops to jump through though:

The city Plan Commission recommended establishing the plaza on one block of N. 4th St., between W. Highland and W. Juneau avenues, on a 4-2 vote. It next goes to the Common Council's Public Works Committee, before undergoing full council review.

[EastSideBucksFan]

City of Milwaukee has approved 4th St. plaza closure.


http://www.jsonline.com/business/bucks-arena-plaza-for-n-4th-st-wins-early-city-approval-b99670439z1-368872221.html

Looks like there are still some hoops to jump through though:

The city Plan Commission recommended establishing the plaza on one block of N. 4th St., between W. Highland and W. Juneau avenues, on a 4-2 vote. It next goes to the Common Council's Public Works Committee, before undergoing full council review.

There will be a public hearing on April 1st and then it will go before full common council for final vote.

Politics.

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

City of Milwaukee has approved 4th St. plaza closure.


http://www.jsonline.com/business/bucks-arena-plaza-for-n-4th-st-wins-early-city-approval-b99670439z1-368872221.html

Looks like there are still some hoops to jump through though:

The city Plan Commission recommended establishing the plaza on one block of N. 4th St., between W. Highland and W. Juneau avenues, on a 4-2 vote. It next goes to the Common Council's Public Works Committee, before undergoing full council review.

There will be a public hearing on April 1st and then it will go before full common council for final vote.

Politics.

They are talking about closing a street in downtown Milwaukee and building a beer garden on it. I hope it takes some hoops to jump through. Normally I'm all for private businesses doing whatever the hell they want but if it's a project that is materially financed by taxpayers and involve actually city planning, there should be approval.

[MickeyDavis]

Agreed there should be approval but no reason it should have taken this long to go before the planning commission.

No surprise Whitney Gould voted against it.

Soon enough the hoops will have all been jumped through and we can start building the damn thing.

[HaroldinGMinor]

Agreed there should be approval but no reason it should have taken this long to go before the planning commission.

No surprise Whitney Gould voted against it.

Soon enough the hoops will have all been jumped through and we can start building the damn thing.

The political hoops are not causing the bulk of the "delays".

[MadBlueEdwards]

Looks like there are still some hoops to jump through though:

There will be a public hearing on April 1st and then it will go before full common council for final vote.

Politics.

They are talking about closing a street in downtown Milwaukee and building a beer garden on it. I hope it takes some hoops to jump through. Normally I'm all for private businesses doing whatever the hell they want but if it's a project that is materially financed by taxpayers and involve actually city planning, there should be approval.

Of course there should be hoops to jump through. I wasn't implying that there shouldn't be. The way I read ESBF's post, it sounded like it was a done deal already. Just trying to explain to anyone that didn't read the article that it's still an ongoing process.

[MickeyDavis]

So last summer Abele wanted to pay the counties portion via debt collecting. That didn't fly so it was removed from the arena deal and the state legislature passed the bill. Now all of a sudden it's back as a stand alone bill.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele could seek to pay for the county's share of a subsidy for the planned Milwaukee Bucks arena by turning county debtors over to state officials, under a plan going before an Assembly committee Tuesday.

Facing determined opposition from some Democrats, including members of the Milwaukee County board, lawmakers dropped this plan last summer from the overall proposal under which the state, a local board, Milwaukee County, and the city of Milwaukee will pay for half of the $500 million Bucks arena.

Now in recent days a bipartisan group of lawmakers has brought back the Milwaukee County debt plan as a separate bill, AB885, to help pay for the county's $55 million share of the arena, which comes to a total of $80 million over 20 years after adding the interest.

The bill is up for a lightning hearing and vote Tuesday in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations, with a floor vote tentatively scheduled in the Assembly on Thursday.

But the proposal still faces sharp criticism from some Milwaukee Democrats who say it backtracks on the earlier compromise that led to the passage of the arena proposal.

"I think it's pretty sneaky," said Rep. Christine Sinicki, who supported the Bucks proposal last summer but is leaning toward opposing this latest bill.

"They got the Bucks bill through by taking (the debt collection) out. Now suddenly they're bringing it back," she said.

The controversy over the debt plan has added overtones for the April election in which Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, a supporter of the proposal, faces state Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), an opponent.

Larson and other critics of the debt plan have said it amounts to funding an arena for the Bucks' billionaire owners in part by taking more money from people who often aren't able to pay their current debts. They're also worried about the effect it could have on county offices linked to these debts. Currently, most of this debt is the responsibility of County Treasurer David Cullen and Clerk of Courts John Barrett, who both oppose the legislation.

Abele has said that blocking the debt plan amounts to penalizing people who are paying their property taxes or court fines to help those who aren't.

Under the bill, Abele could act without county board approval to pass most county debts over for collection to the state Department of Revenue, which has additional collections tools.

[EastSideBucksFan]

There will be a public hearing on April 1st and then it will go before full common council for final vote.

Politics.

They are talking about closing a street in downtown Milwaukee and building a beer garden on it. I hope it takes some hoops to jump through. Normally I'm all for private businesses doing whatever the hell they want but if it's a project that is materially financed by taxpayers and involve actually city planning, there should be approval.

Of course there should be hoops to jump through. I wasn't implying that there shouldn't be. The way I read ESBF's post, it sounded like it was a done deal already. Just trying to explain to anyone that didn't read the article that it's still an ongoing process.

My apologies on the confusion. I've been messed up on this due to conflicting reports in JS/Urban Milwaukee on the stage of the process the 4th St. closure is at. JS declared it a done deal last month, so it's confused me a bit.

[EastSideBucksFan]

So last summer Abele wanted to pay the counties portion via debt collecting. That didn't fly so it was removed from the arena deal and the state legislature passed the bill. Now all of a sudden it's back as a stand alone bill.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele could seek to pay for the county's share of a subsidy for the planned Milwaukee Bucks arena by turning county debtors over to state officials, under a plan going before an Assembly committee Tuesday.

Facing determined opposition from some Democrats, including members of the Milwaukee County board, lawmakers dropped this plan last summer from the overall proposal under which the state, a local board, Milwaukee County, and the city of Milwaukee will pay for half of the $500 million Bucks arena.

Now in recent days a bipartisan group of lawmakers has brought back the Milwaukee County debt plan as a separate bill, AB885, to help pay for the county's $55 million share of the arena, which comes to a total of $80 million over 20 years after adding the interest.

The bill is up for a lightning hearing and vote Tuesday in the Assembly Committee on State Affairs and Government Operations, with a floor vote tentatively scheduled in the Assembly on Thursday.

But the proposal still faces sharp criticism from some Milwaukee Democrats who say it backtracks on the earlier compromise that led to the passage of the arena proposal.

"I think it's pretty sneaky," said Rep. Christine Sinicki, who supported the Bucks proposal last summer but is leaning toward opposing this latest bill.

"They got the Bucks bill through by taking (the debt collection) out. Now suddenly they're bringing it back," she said.

The controversy over the debt plan has added overtones for the April election in which Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, a supporter of the proposal, faces state Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee), an opponent.

Larson and other critics of the debt plan have said it amounts to funding an arena for the Bucks' billionaire owners in part by taking more money from people who often aren't able to pay their current debts. They're also worried about the effect it could have on county offices linked to these debts. Currently, most of this debt is the responsibility of County Treasurer David Cullen and Clerk of Courts John Barrett, who both oppose the legislation.

Abele has said that blocking the debt plan amounts to penalizing people who are paying their property taxes or court fines to help those who aren't.

Under the bill, Abele could act without county board approval to pass most county debts over for collection to the state Department of Revenue, which has additional collections tools.

Heard this was coming back awhile ago.