http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14276719p-15086042c.html
Ailene Voisin: Time is now for officials to get arena act together
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Not this junket.
Not this trip.
What happens there resonates here.
What transpires at the Palms in Las Vegas this afternoon -- during intense discussions about financing proposals for a new Sacramento-area arena -- will directly affect the Kings' future in Northern California.
Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not next week or next month. But if the parties fail to agree on a plan to submit to the voters in November, if after all this time, they fail to provide the outline of a deal, then prospects for a fruitful and permanent relationship are dormant, if not dead.
But now for that flickering pulse: The people who matter finally will be positioned around the negotiating table. For the first time since the Maloofs and Mayor Heather Fargo began talking about the need for a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue oh-so-many seasons ago, the power players will gather in a room, roll up their sleeves and be forced to show their hands. Everyone gets exposed in Vegas. And based on recent developments, an apparent commitment by all participants to facilitate a deal, transparency has had its advantages.
Vice Mayor Rob Fong and County Supervisor Roger Dickinson -- and tell me again why it took so long to enlist the county's involvement? -- have emerged as forceful leaders with terrific peripheral vision; they have been willing to leave the cul-de-sac and peruse other neighborhoods once in awhile.
The presence of county economic development director Paul Hahn and new Assistant City Manager John Dangberg, along with stadium and arena consultant Dan Barrett, inspires further confidence. Together, more than the occasional creative thought will be shared.
Across the table, seated somewhere near Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof and team president John Thomas, and probably inches away from well-respected former Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, will be George Maloof. Boy George, the family financial genius, the brains behind the Palms -- good to see him there, too. Given the inability of the parties thus far to reach a consensus on the fundamental issues such as construction costs and private/public contributions, this might be the time for George to be brilliant, for him to be a leader.
Additionally, though David Stern is on one of his annual exotic overseas adventures, the commissioner is dispatching longtime league attorney Harvey Benjamin in an attempt to facilitate a deal -- per the city/county's request, of course.
Yet there can be no dancing solo this afternoon. The verbal tangling has to end in a tango. Collaboration is essential. The issues are immensely complex, both economically and politically.
What is a reasonable cost for a facility that, in 2004, was built for $250 million in Memphis? What percentage does each side contribute? How to compensate for rising costs and the higher price of doing business on the West Coast? Is there sufficient time to draft a ballot measure? Will the county board of supervisors even approve the measure? And if all of the above issues are resolved, is it possible that someone articulates exactly why Arco Arena is so inadequate as both a sports and entertainment venue?
But more about that later. This afternoon is all about city and county officials being realistic, capable of balancing the rising construction costs -- prices that do not figure to drop anytime soon -- while remaining cognizant of what the Sacramento market can bear. It is about the Maloofs being reasonable, sensitive to the fact that small markets lack revenue streams of, say, Los Angeles, but don't have to battle for the fans' affection (and attention) with a zillion other franchises. It is about the participants being smart, being sensible, being selfless, and mostly, about being appreciative of Kings fans who have supported the franchise unwaveringly for two decades.
Is this the deal-breaker?
Is this the 11th hour?
These situations tend to be fluid. One minute the owners are dressed in suits and shaking hands, the next they're changing into T-shirts and sneakers and loading the basketball team into the back of the moving van. And based on a casino full of evidence -- NBA economics, small-market woes, the increasing frequency of franchise relocations and, most importantly, the advanced age and inadequacy of Arco Arena as a modern venue for sports, concerts and other entertainment events -- there is serious cause for concern.
But imagine if the Kings came home a winner? If a press conference were scheduled for later this week? If the public was afforded the opportunity to vote on the matter?
Roll the dice, but remember your roots.
Sac is home.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.
Ailene Voisin: Time is now for officials to get arena act together
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Not this junket.
Not this trip.
What happens there resonates here.
What transpires at the Palms in Las Vegas this afternoon -- during intense discussions about financing proposals for a new Sacramento-area arena -- will directly affect the Kings' future in Northern California.
Maybe not today or tomorrow. Maybe not next week or next month. But if the parties fail to agree on a plan to submit to the voters in November, if after all this time, they fail to provide the outline of a deal, then prospects for a fruitful and permanent relationship are dormant, if not dead.
But now for that flickering pulse: The people who matter finally will be positioned around the negotiating table. For the first time since the Maloofs and Mayor Heather Fargo began talking about the need for a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue oh-so-many seasons ago, the power players will gather in a room, roll up their sleeves and be forced to show their hands. Everyone gets exposed in Vegas. And based on recent developments, an apparent commitment by all participants to facilitate a deal, transparency has had its advantages.
Vice Mayor Rob Fong and County Supervisor Roger Dickinson -- and tell me again why it took so long to enlist the county's involvement? -- have emerged as forceful leaders with terrific peripheral vision; they have been willing to leave the cul-de-sac and peruse other neighborhoods once in awhile.
The presence of county economic development director Paul Hahn and new Assistant City Manager John Dangberg, along with stadium and arena consultant Dan Barrett, inspires further confidence. Together, more than the occasional creative thought will be shared.
Across the table, seated somewhere near Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof and team president John Thomas, and probably inches away from well-respected former Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, will be George Maloof. Boy George, the family financial genius, the brains behind the Palms -- good to see him there, too. Given the inability of the parties thus far to reach a consensus on the fundamental issues such as construction costs and private/public contributions, this might be the time for George to be brilliant, for him to be a leader.
Additionally, though David Stern is on one of his annual exotic overseas adventures, the commissioner is dispatching longtime league attorney Harvey Benjamin in an attempt to facilitate a deal -- per the city/county's request, of course.
Yet there can be no dancing solo this afternoon. The verbal tangling has to end in a tango. Collaboration is essential. The issues are immensely complex, both economically and politically.
What is a reasonable cost for a facility that, in 2004, was built for $250 million in Memphis? What percentage does each side contribute? How to compensate for rising costs and the higher price of doing business on the West Coast? Is there sufficient time to draft a ballot measure? Will the county board of supervisors even approve the measure? And if all of the above issues are resolved, is it possible that someone articulates exactly why Arco Arena is so inadequate as both a sports and entertainment venue?
But more about that later. This afternoon is all about city and county officials being realistic, capable of balancing the rising construction costs -- prices that do not figure to drop anytime soon -- while remaining cognizant of what the Sacramento market can bear. It is about the Maloofs being reasonable, sensitive to the fact that small markets lack revenue streams of, say, Los Angeles, but don't have to battle for the fans' affection (and attention) with a zillion other franchises. It is about the participants being smart, being sensible, being selfless, and mostly, about being appreciative of Kings fans who have supported the franchise unwaveringly for two decades.
Is this the deal-breaker?
Is this the 11th hour?
These situations tend to be fluid. One minute the owners are dressed in suits and shaking hands, the next they're changing into T-shirts and sneakers and loading the basketball team into the back of the moving van. And based on a casino full of evidence -- NBA economics, small-market woes, the increasing frequency of franchise relocations and, most importantly, the advanced age and inadequacy of Arco Arena as a modern venue for sports, concerts and other entertainment events -- there is serious cause for concern.
But imagine if the Kings came home a winner? If a press conference were scheduled for later this week? If the public was afforded the opportunity to vote on the matter?
Roll the dice, but remember your roots.
Sac is home.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com.