Long-delayed arena renovation plan given new life. There's been talk of this renovation and creation of an "Entertainment District" for about 5 years now, without much progress. Hopefully, something will start happening soon.
Rendell gives hope to arena plan (VIDEO)
BY JOHN GUERRIERO
Nine months ago, the Erie community heard plans for a $43.5 million renovation of the nearly 25-year-old Tullio Arena and surrounding area.
Nine months later, those plans have done little but gather dust.
But now a spark has been struck after Gov. Ed Rendell said the renovation would be an "extremely attractive project for us," as part of a multipronged economic stimulus package in his proposed 2008-09 budget.
Rendell said Wednesday that the project, if ready with 50-50 matching funds, would go "to the top of the list because I'm serious about using this as economic stimulus."
But the Erie Times-News learned Thursday that the Tullio Arena is not subject to the local match requirement because the state owns the building.
Chuck Ardo, the governor's spokesman, said that fact -- which he confirmed at the newspaper's request -- doesn't change the governor's opinion about the project.
Extra content Video:
http://www.goerie.com/video/complex
-- Some of the proposed Tullio Arena renovations:
Build a new and expanded glass-covered lobby for Tullio Arena that would connect with nearby Jerry Uht Park to provide an additional entrance to the ballpark.
Build larger concourses, more concession stands, restrooms and ticket offices.
Expand concert seating to fit up to 9,000, which would draw bigger acts. Concerts now seat between 6,000 to 7,000, depending on the stage configuration.
Increase hockey seating from 5,500 to 6,009.
Build a new year-round restaurant inside the arena.
Build a new outdoor amphitheater that would double as a public ice arena in the winter.
Funding for Tullio Arena would come through a public-improvement program in the state's capital budget, rather than through the 50-50 financial requirement under what is known as the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, or RACP, he said.
"It's a matter of working with all the parties to make sure the project gets added to the capital budget," Ardo said. "The items in the capital budget are uncapped. The only question is: Are there revenues to fund all the projects" statewide.
Ardo did not have an immediate answer on whether the Erie community could make up the difference if the state were to fund only part of the project, which includes new and expanded seating, new entrances, a larger lobby, restaurant space, and private suites. But that could be the case, since a local match was used to fund part of the state-owned Warner Theatre improvements.
Ardo said local officials must work with the Legislature and the administration to get the Tullio Arena project included in the capital budget. "It needs to be included on the list. It's really not a matter of where on the list it appears," he said.
State Sen. Jane Earll, of Fairview, R-49th Dist., said she supports the project, but doesn't think anybody has lobbied for it in Harrisburg yet. "It's barely teed up on the local level, let alone in Harrisburg," she said.
Earll said that the Erie County Convention Center Authority has been busy working on the new Bayfront Convention Center and adjoining Sheraton Hotel. The authority operates the convention center, which opened in summer, plus Tullio Arena, the Warner Theatre and Jerry Uht Park.
The hotel is scheduled to open in April.
"That's a pretty challenging project that's consumed both the authority and the professional staff for a long time. I think now we'll be able to focus some attention on this," she said.
Earll also said the authority commissioned an architectural plan for the Tullio Arena improvements, which Convention Center Authority Executive Director Casey Wells presented in May.
"Now there has to be some fine-tuning and crunching of the numbers, but it's not as if none of that groundwork has been done. It has," she said.
Even if the work is done in stages, Earll said it's time for major enhancements at the arena -- the home to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League.
And while the Otters and the authority recently agreed to reduce costs on the team's existing lease, Earll said the city can't afford to lose the Otters because "once they're gone, we're not going to be able to replace them."
She said keeping the Otters and bringing other events to the arena is "even more important now than ever before because we have conventioneers here looking for things to do. The time is ripe. Now that the convention center and hotel are almost put to bed, we will be able to focus more on this project."
Now that the governor has spoken, Wells said, the authority again will contact elected leaders, including Erie Mayor Joe Sinnott and Erie County Executive Mark DiVecchio.
"Before we would take it to the state, we'd want to build that community consensus and have our political leadership move forward shoulder to shoulder with us," Wells said. "Given the governor's response, it certainly is incumbent upon us to make that happen," he said.
Both DiVecchio and Sinnott said they support the project, but both noted the competition for state dollars for other local projects. "I'm absolutely for every project we have on the radar screen in Harrisburg," Sinnott said.
DiVecchio said he, too, will pitch the project to the state as long as it doesn't take away state money for the planned extension of the Erie International Airport runway and a proposed community college. He also has concerns about coming up with any local match. "I don't think the state is going to give us $43 million," DiVecchio said.
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