15 replies to this topic

[john]

Ever been inside Arco Arena, under the seats? Take a photo tour and even see the secret tunnel under it. http://tinyurl.com/ydfaz65

[Darthvader]

</a>Ever been inside Arco Arena, under the seats? Take a photo tour and even see the secret tunnel under it. <a href="http://tinyurl.com/ydfaz65" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/ydfaz65

One thing all the pics prove is how badly we need a new arena. Looks like a junkyard but with Escalades and Audi's parked in it.

[Stitch]

Looks like a fine stadium. Great pictures and the clown alley is funny.

[Chad Vander Veen]

Looks like a fine stadium. Great pictures and the clown alley is funny.

I've been down there as well. And just about every other place in Arco. While it functions, it's miles away from fine.

[dimeracer]

I've been down there as well. And just about every other place in Arco. While it functions, it's miles away from fine.

Really? What is so wrong with it?

[Darthvader]

Really? What is so wrong with it?

Try telling what's right with it and we can go from there.

[Chad Vander Veen]

Really? What is so wrong with it?

Here's a nice article from Comstock's that explains:

http://www.nba.com/m.....mber 2005.pdf

[john]

Really? What is so wrong with it?

I very much enjoyed getting the tour, but Arco Arena is basically Sac State's Hornet Stadium with concrete poured around it... they make do with what they have, but it's just horrbly outdated, all over. Honestly I'm not surprised some places are starting to pass on the place. It's just a big concrete box with seats drilled in to metal supports. That's more or less what the stadium consists of.

The Maloofs are being patient, which is great. But the naivety of people thinking "it's fine" shocks me. It's almost as naive as Heather Fargo, who thought if we needed an arena so bad, the athletes should just pay for it.

[Stitch]

I very much enjoyed getting the tour, but Arco Arena is basically Sac State's Hornet Stadium with concrete poured around it... they make do with what they have, but it's just horrbly outdated, all over. Honestly I'm not surprised some places are starting to pass on the place. It's just a big concrete box with seats drilled in to metal supports. That's more or less what the stadium consists of.

The Maloofs are being patient, which is great. But the naivety of people thinking "it's fine" shocks me. It's almost as naive as Heather Fargo, who thought if we needed an arena so bad, the athletes should just pay for it.

Last time we were at Arco was for Ringling Bros Circus and it seemed fine then. Sure it was bolted plastic seats to concrete but I dont have another stadium to really compare to. What should it be and who should pay for the building it?

If the XYZ peanut or cybertech corp wants to setup shop in a city they may get tax breaks, expedited planning\permits and low fee loans because the city or region wins with employment, corp taxes, property taxes, domino effect (home building\sales, goods\services purchases) but the building isn't funded by the city.

I understand other events take place off game season time (circus, speakers, shows, conventions) but shouldnt an entity or the Maloofs build a proper modern stadium instead of the city (aka taxpayers)?

Just looking for a better understanding from a non basketball fan.

[john]

Out of like 300 events a year, the Kings account for 41. Everyone equates it to the Kings only b/c they are the most high-profile. It's not the Maloofs' fault they inherited a piece of crap stadium.

This is the thing - if you go to any NBA arena, you will notice a vast, vast difference. It's not even close. I went to the Rose Garden in Portland a couple years ago and I was embarrassed how out of date Arco was compared to it.

We lose out on all sorts of high-profile events (NCAA Tournaments, Beyonce, NHL Hockey, conventions) because Arco is so antiquated. The results trickle:
- good NBA free agents do not want to play in a barn (we have great fans, that's a saving grace)
- millions of dollars in tourism lost because we lose out on high-profile events

I don't know how it's going to get done. All I know is that the argument that it's "good enough" is no longer valid. It's not. You may not notice a difference but the NBA does. NCAA does. Concert organizers do. At some point you (the non basketball fan) will wonder why it is that you have to drive to Oakland, SF, Reno, Stockton(!) to see something that you really would expect to see in Sacramento.

Mayor Johnson needs to lead a way to get it done. Because if he doesn't, it will be a long time before Sacramento, a metropolitan area of 2 million people - can really host events of this nature.

[dimeracer]

Here's a nice article from Comstock's that explains:

http://www.nba.com/m.....mber 2005.pdf

That is a very interesting article. I haven't had time to read the whole thing, but I will. I guess when I hear people say that we need a new arena, I assume that they also feel that public funds should pay for it. Maybe the article will help me to understand why that is in our best interest.

[Toadster]

how much did Arco Arena cost to build initially?

[john]

how much did Arco Arena cost to build initially?

$40 million - it's no secret Arco was built "on the cheap"...

[Chad Vander Veen]

I guess when I hear people say that we need a new arena, I assume that they also feel that public funds should pay for it.

Some do, some don't. I wouldn't mind seeing a hotel and rental car tax passed to "let" the region's visitors help pay for some of the arena.

And yeah, I guess Arco is technically fine, the same way mediocre is fine. But why settle for mediocre? I think it says a lot about the community when mediocre becomes the acceptable standard.

[dimeracer]

Some do, some don't. I wouldn't mind seeing a hotel and rental car tax passed to "let" the region's visitors help pay for some of the arena.

And yeah, I guess Arco is technically fine, the same way mediocre is fine. But why settle for mediocre? I think it says a lot about the community when mediocre becomes the acceptable standard.

You settle for it when resources are limited and when there are other more important things to use your resources for. Personally, I don't care that much if people elsewhere see us as a 'world class" city or not. If not having a professional basketball team that we overly subsidize takes us out of the running for that, so be it. I like the idea of a user tax. Do they currently assess a use tax on ticket sales for events at Arco?

The article that you posted was interesting for the standpoint of what the shortcomings are at Arco. I admire a nice facility as much as the next guy. I was in Seattle when they opened Safeco Field. Yes, I enjoyed watching the Mariners play there much better than in the Kingdome. I like having the Kings here too, but it irritates me that professional sports teams can get away with having a city pay for a place for them to run their business.