New arena or upgrade the Ford Center?

[HOT ROD]

I think we should improve the Ford Center immediately, as was already part of the city's plan; yet we should also address any concerns Bennett might have which might require dollars the city does not already have. It shouldn't be more than $40M and should easily be added to a MAPS 3 vote.

Bennett is aware of the I-40 situation, so another thing we could do to make sure we get the SONICS is promise him that we would have a MAPS 4 or 5 which would build a new arena S of the Ford Center/and new boulevard.

But we need to do whatever it takes to get the SONICS - I just think upgrading the Ford Center is enough for now; and Im sure Bennett is on board with that plan anyways.

[mranderson]

LMAO........


I think we should locate it somewhere between Guymon and Bowlegs.

I was thinking we should build that 500 million dollar arena in Slapout. Then the people of Oklahoma City would be slap out of money.

[PUGalicious]

Giving it up to yourself just kills me.

[Patrick]

Giving it up to yourself just kills me.

Pug, I think you need some botox.

[PUGalicious]

What are you implying?

[Patrick]

Pugs have wrinkles right?

[PUGalicious]

But wrinkles are BEAUUUUTIFUL!

[Patrick]

[Patrick]

Okay, sorry for taking us off topic. Back to topic.

[PUGalicious]

AAAAAAAAACK! Okay, you made your point!

Wrinkles on PUGS are BEAUUUUTIFUL!

I think I'm gonna be sick now...

[Patrick]

Just having fun!

[PUGalicious]

Just having fun!

This is having fun...


Kicking back on a sunny beach... thinking about that new arena

[Patrick]

How adorable!

[Easy180]

Grow up.

History has to start somewhere. Why not here?


Oh and by the way:



Yukon? Bolters? What?



Do yourself a favor and do a little research and see what NBA arenas are going for these days. And in case you have been under a rock since 1993, the MAPS projects are funded by a CITY sales tax...not the state.

Do yourself a favor and research the quote function because the Yukon statement you are attributing to me...If you go back and actually read the posts...Not mine...I can see where getting the names NE Oasis and Easy180 confused since they are very similar... Guess you only had the clever comebacks on the other two

The history has to start somewhere statement...Deep man real deep

Do yourself another favor and quit trying to compare Gallagher Iba with the Ford Center...Extensive research won't find anything to make that argument compelling

[CuatrodeMayo]

My apologies for attributing the wrong quote to you.

Statment Deep? yes.

True? yes.

You can't build a legacy in a building if you tear it down every 15 years or so.

If not Gallagher Iba, then how about Madison Square Gardens?

[mranderson]

My apologies for attributing the wrong quote to you.

Statment Deep? yes.

True? yes.

You can't build a legacy in a building if you tear it down every 15 years or so.

If not Gallagher Iba, then how about Madison Square Gardens?

Madison Square Garden really has no legacy. They are an abomination because they destroyed an icon (the original Pennsylvania Station).

[NE Oasis]

I don't know enough about NBA arena's - WIll it be a dedicated facility or available for other uses? My vote would be somewhere between McArthur and Yukon close to I-40. That area has enough land available for parking as well as a roomy facility. Close proximity to I-40 would help fans as well as team staff should the Ford Center become the Okahoma Bolters practice facility and team offices be in Bricktown.

I feel like a narcissic(sp) dork quoting myself, but I don't know any other options. My suggestion for a new arena to the west was more due to economics that anything else, I don't know how much land would be required for a first rate facility with room to grow ten years after completion when team owners consider it dated.

Okahoma Bolters was an attempt to start discusson for a name other than Sonics, (too much pressure on Cliff Hudson as well as easy work for late night TV writers) since the team is bolting from Seattle.

[brianinok]

The Ford Center should simply be updated as long as that is physically and financially smart to do. Look at Madison Square Garden in NYC. It has been updated numerous times and is a nice NBA area, despite the fact that it is old. On the flip side, look at the arena that causes most of this talk-- Key Arena in Seattle. While it too has been updated numerous times, it cannot be updated to NBA standards physically or in a financially smart way. It would cost too much money. We should concentrate on updating the Ford Center every so often to keep it NBA-worthy. But, we should not be naive enough to think that a new area MIGHT not be needed at some point. When that day comes (maybe 10 years from now, maybe 50 years from now), it should be downtown in/near a district where current hotels and restaurants are within walking distance of it.

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

If it had to go anywhere other than downtown (which would be my preference), I say knock down Crossroads and put a new arena there. That area could sure use a face lift.

[mranderson]

If it had to go anywhere other than downtown (which would be my preference), I say knock down Crossroads and put a new arena there. That area could sure use a face lift.

The city is not able to place an arena where Crossroads is. That will be the home of the new state prison known as Crossroads Correctional Center. That way, the majority of Crossroads customers can feel at home after doing their Christmas shoplifting.

[andy157]

mranderson, a customer is not a shoplifter. Anymore than a self proclaimed expert on everything really is.

[metro]

The main problem with Madison Square Gardens is lack of land in NYC. In case you weren't familiar but land is scarce and extremely expensive in NYC. That is one of the main reasons for not building a new arena in NYC. It is easier and far cheaper to keep the same site and update it. Oklahoma City nor Seattle is exactly lacking space. To have that much prime land space in NYC to sit vacant (if it were to be torn down and rebuilt on the same site) is just too dang expensive to do in NYC. And the NBA can't wait a few years until it's rebuilt. It's not like Seattle where they can move the location of the arena simultaneously while playing in another arena.

[CuatrodeMayo]

In case you weren't familiar but land is scarce and extremely expensive in NYC.

Thanks for pointing that out for me. I had no clue. No wonder everybody in NYC lives in such little spaces.

Oklahoma City nor Seattle is exactly lacking space.

Exactly why we have such a sprawl problem.


Upgrades--even major ones--can go on during the off-season. At the risk of more sarcasim, I will bring up the example of G-I Arena. During the off-season OSU did a $55 million expansion & upgrade to the arena--doubling its capacity. It's not that difficult.

Or we can just do our arenas like this:

One of the most amazing things about Ise Jingu is that the wooden sanctuaries are rebuilt and rededicated to the enshrined goddesses every 20 years in a process called "shikinen sengu". This tradition began with the first rebuilding in 690, and is still being practiced. The sixty-first rebuilding was completed in 1993, with the sixty-second scheduled for 2013. The Uji Bridge is also rebuilt in this ceremony.

There is an identical plot of ground next to each sanctuary (called 'kodenchi') for the purpose of the rebuilding ceremony. The construction of the new shrine takes about eight years, and at each stage of construction a religious ceremony is held.

Ise-Jingu, the Grand Shrines of Ise - most famous Shinto shrines in Japan

Do you want to build history, legacy, and tradition, or do you want to build a shiny new arena every 15 years?

[BG918]

New arena could be on the site of the current Cox Center, assuming a new convention center will be built south of the Ford Center.


And I think we all agree on a new arena, it's just the timing that's in doubt.

And then the second question is whether to include it in MAPS III.

This is the best idea IMO. OKC needs to have its arena still next to Bricktown and surrounded by hotels and restaurants in the CBD. The Cox site is perfect.

[Kerry]

The city is not going to build a new arena. You would have to be stupid to think otherwise. I am with soonerliberal on this one. I would rather see the money go to rail or stay in the taxpayers pocket.