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As I've talked about in previous posts, our Roberts Stadium project can and should work in harmony with its surrounding environment. As with all other sports venues, arenas are designed to reflect and serve their surrounding neighborhood with their environmental and financial mechanisms. Roberts Stadium is no exemption to this rule.
Contrary to what the green space subcommittee wants you to believe, we are very fortunate to have an arena like Roberts Stadium next to our Wesselman Park Nature Preserve and our State Hospital Park. We are also very fortunate to have the ability to connect these two parks with Roberts Stadium, and we are also very fortunate to have the opportunity to connect the University of Evansville to the area.
There's one other city that is planning to connect their old and historic venue with its surrounding environment. This city is the city where I went to college for sports management- Lexington, KY. The home to the University of Kentucky.
Originally, Lexington was going to build an entirely new arena for the University of Kentucky men's basketball program. Once constructed in the parking lot south of Rupp Arena, the city planned to scale Rupp Arena down to a mid-sized performing arts center that would be combined with an expansion of their convention center.
But last year, things changed. The city, facing budget woes, was unable to come up with the remaining funds for a new arena for UK who originally was going to privately finance the facility. The total cost was estimated to be at least $400-$500 million. They then did what we have done for Roberts Stadium- they formed a task force.
The Rupp Arena task force was a little bit different than ours. Their task force had 47 members, ours had 15. Their task force visited 3 arenas, ours visited zero. Their task force was given an entire district to come up with a proposal for, ours was only asked to evaluate Roberts Stadium. However, what the Rupp Arena Task Force came up with is nearly identical to what our 20 year master plan should look like...
http://ruppdistrict.com/
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| ruppdistrict.com |
Although the Rupp Arena plan is light years more expensive than what we should spend on our project (theirs costs $250-$300 million, ours needs to be ideally $1 million but at least less than $3 million), their project has a lot of components that we need to implement in a master plan for the area. Let's take a look at some of the components that are in the Rupp Arena Task Force recommendation...
(Note: You can read the entire 32 page master plan here: http://www.ruppdistrict.com/pdfs/MasterPlanSummary.pdf)
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| ruppdistrict.com |
http://www.kentucky.com/2012/02/01/2050062/final-report-of-rupp-task-force.html
"Recommendations
■ "Free Rupp Arena." Renovate it, maintain its historic character, make it a stand-alone structure.
■ New, bigger convention area.
■ Small performing arts center, arts education space, outdoor gathering/performance area, visual arts space.
■ Town Branch Commons, a thread of public space from the Distillery District to the East End, generally following Town Branch Creek.
■ Retail shops near Rupp Arena, facing Main Street and along Town Branch Commons Park, and a CatWalk between Avenue of Champions and the arena."
■ Parking garage and transportation hub for buses and rail."
The Task Force came up with a renovated Rupp Arena, a green space connecting all of Downtown Lexington to Rupp Arena, a canal recognizing Lexington's historic Town Branch Commons and connecting both areas, a bus and rail station that will eventually carry high speed rail, a path connecting UK with Rupp Arena, and an entertainment district around Rupp Arena. Is it just me or is this plan light years better than any plan our city leaders have ever put together? Now, let's take a look at the recommended financing sources as there is one in particular that sticks out...
"Potential funding sources
■ Revenue from premium seating, sale of stock, naming rights, advertising, concert/event promotions, concessions and parking.
■ Local and state governments and federal grants.
■ Private fund-raising.
■ Tax credits, including establishment of a tax increment financing, or TIF, district to support infrastructure and civic facilities."
What is the one source of fundraising that sticks out? Naming rights of course. But isn't both Rupp Arena and Roberts Stadium legendary names that have no potential for naming rights of any kind?
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120323/NEWS0104/303230056/Task-force-exploring-naming-rights-Lexington-near-Rupp-Arena
"While Rupp Arena will likely never get a corporate naming sponsor, the area around it that includes the Lexington Convention Center could draw a naming rights deal worth $2 million annually, said the head of a task force overseeing Lexington's entertainment district."
"The Lexington Herald-Leader reported that Rice identified more than $25 million in potential annual revenue from naming rights and sponsorships associated with the iconic Rupp Arena, where the University of Kentucky men's basketball team plays its home games."
No, we probably won't bring in $25 million in naming rights to our gates, pavilions, and plazas outside of Roberts Stadium, but I firmly believe we will bring in enough to pay for the vast majority of the renovations to Roberts Stadium...
http://saverobertsstadium.blogspot.com/2011/11/selling-secondary-naming-rights-can.html
The question that needs to be asked now is the same question I have been asking since the beginning of this journey to save Roberts Stadium-why?
Why can't our green space subcommittee and supporters understand the value of Roberts Stadium in their plan to connect all of their parks? Why can't we connect UE to Roberts Stadium like Lexington is connecting UK to Rupp Arena? Why can't our city plan for 21st century transportation technology like high speed rail? Why can't we sell naming rights to our 4 gates, our plazas, and our pavilions?
In Lexington, their historic and legendary arena is undergoing a transformation that will improve the entire district around it...
It's about time we drew up a plan for Roberts Stadium like Lexington's plan for Rupp Arena!
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