I also said that it is mandatory that we should "THINK AGAIN." The Pens don't want to think again. If you don't think again -- you gotta wonder if they are even capable of thinking at all.
Sure, it takes two to tango, so, perhaps after the Penguins move we'll be able to turn the Civic Arena into a dance hall. Or, today the folks from the Civic Light Opera marked their 60th -- and made mention of the good old days when they used to perform in the Civic Arena -- under the stars. We could always fix the roof and make the venue a home to cultural events again.
Plan B for arena in works - PittsburghLIVE.com Although the region had a 'pretty positive' experience with building PNC Park and Heinz Field, it's almost always better for the private sector to handle such deals, rather than the government or its authorities, said Jerry Shuster, a University of Pittsburgh political communications professor.
'I would much prefer to see the arena not only owned and constructed but operated by the private sector,' Shuster said. 'That takes it totally out of the government's hands, and it would be much better promoted. That, in itself, brings dividends to the city. That's the economic payoff to the city.'
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Plan B for arena in works
By Andrew Conte
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
State and local politicians are working on a plan to fund a new arena for Pittsburgh -- with or without input from the Penguins -- and it will resemble stadium deals made for the Pirates and Steelers, Gov. Ed Rendell said Monday.
Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Mayor Bob O'Connor are even calling it Plan B -- as local leaders did in the late 1990s when crafting a plan to find money for the other sports stadiums -- and said their alternate arena plan should be ready by late March.
They're frustrated by the team's uncooperative stance, O'Connor said.
"It takes two to tango, so I would hope that the Penguins would open up and talk with us," he said.
Rendell called it "baffling," "puzzling" and "crazy" that the Penguins won't talk to elected officials, especially because the National Hockey League says the team needs to solidify its future within months. The Penguins want to use money from slots gambling to build an arena.
Rendell said yesterday during a visit to the Hill District that he plans to ask Onorato and O'Connor whether they can accelerate their Plan B timetable. Government officials might unveil the proposal on their own if they cannot talk with the team, he said.
"We can come up with a package creatively that does for the Penguins the same thing that was done for the Steelers, the Pirates, the Phillies and the Eagles -- whether that's acceptable to them or not," Rendell said.
The deal likely would include tax dollars, as well as money from a parking surcharge or some other source, such as personal seat licenses or naming rights, Rendell said.
The Penguins also would have to contribute money, he said.
The team has partnered with Isle of Capri Casinos, based in Biloxi, Miss., on a plan to build an arena with $290 million from the casino company if it wins the license for the city's stand-alone slots parlor. Penguins officials maintain they cannot discuss an alternate plan with elected officials during the licensing process.
Their proposal is competing against two other development teams bidding for the $50 million casino license. A decision on the slots license will not be made before November, Rendell said.
"We can't change the process to suit their schedule," he said. "If, in fact, what the NHL says is correct, then it's crazy for them not to come talk to us."
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Friday at the Winter Olympics in Turin that the Penguins will look at other options -- presumably such as moving the team to another city -- if the arena issue is not resolved quickly.
"The time window for the Penguins to get financing on a new arena is short," Daly told The Associated Press. "It needs to resolve itself in the next couple of months; otherwise, they're going to have to look at options."
Kansas City, Mo., Portland, Ore., and Houston are among the cities looking to acquire the Penguins if the team leaves Pittsburgh, its only home since beginning play as an expansion franchise in 1967. Kansas City wants the Penguins to play a preseason game there this fall.
A spokesman for the Penguins acknowledged the team is under a tight deadline. Its lease at Mellon Arena ends in June 2007, but it has an option to extend the terms for an additional year.
"Everything we've done has been toward keeping the team in Pittsburgh," said Penguins senior consultant David Morehouse. "That's been a number one priority. If we had wanted to move the team, the easy thing to do would have been to play out the lease and then start shopping the team around."
The team delayed signing the partnership agreement with Isle of Capri until casino applications were due at the end of December, he said, adding that local officials have said since 1999 that no public money is available for an arena.
"We got the message loud and clear, and did what we were supposed to do," Morehouse said.
If it wins the casino license, Isle of Capri would give the Penguins money to build an arena, and the team would then give the building to the city-county Sports and Exhibition Authority.
Although the region had a "pretty positive" experience with building PNC Park and Heinz Field, it's almost always better for the private sector to handle such deals, rather than the government or its authorities, said Jerry Shuster, a University of Pittsburgh political communications professor.
"I would much prefer to see the arena not only owned and constructed but operated by the private sector," Shuster said. "That takes it totally out of the government's hands, and it would be much better promoted. That, in itself, brings dividends to the city. That's the economic payoff to the city."
Andrew Conte can be reached at aconte@tribweb.com or (412) 765-2312.
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