So City Council is all het up to build a 12,000 seat arena in downtown.
What’s that all about?
We’re already getting squeezed by tax increases from almost every taxing authority. The arena doesn’t have a full-time tenant, like a basketball or hockey team that might partially offset, or justify, the operations and maintenance costs. So why would we build it? For a handful of concerts that won’t fit in any of the other half dozen venues in town?
Downtown revitalization? The ballpark has demonstrated that the collateral development we’re promised just doesn’t happen. Besides, downtown already has two nightclub districts. How many bars do we need downtown before we all agree it’s “vibrant”?
I’d like to think that there’s some reasoning behind this apparent madness, but I can’t see it, unless some power broker is operating with a secret agenda, like driving the city into bankruptcy. Maybe it’s part of a complicated real estate gambit, or revenge for an ancient slight. Hey, we’re sorry already. Lay off.