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Their View: Memo to NBA: Don’t quit on freedom

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Everything you need to know to reach the Wyoming Area game

WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; The clock is ticking to sign the remaining long-term contract for the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.Ten-year deals were reached with the anchor tenant, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the management company and for the naming rights. All that&#8217;s left is for the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority to ink a pouring rights agreement with a vendor to sell its soft drinks, water and sports drinks at the venue.At its regularly scheduled public meeting Wednesday at the arena, the Authority approved a resolution to allow the executive committee of ASM Global, the arena&#8217;s manager, to execute a deal with a vendor to replace the existing contract that expires on Oct. 31.The authority assigned the committee the task of soliciting proposals, reviewing them and recommending a vendor for the contract. Five vendors responded.The new deal would not be as lucrative as the existing contract with Coke, Authority Chairman Gary Zingaretti commented on the confidential document provided to the board at the meeting. The initial contract when the arena opened in 1999 was with Pepsi, Zingaretti said.&#8220;As you can see, just in generalities, it&#8217;s less than what we received in the last 10-year deal,&#8221; Zingaretti said. He attributed it to a significant decline in volume.The identity of the recommended vendor and other information also was kept secret.The deal might change the expiration date to June 30 so that future contracts won&#8217;t bump up against the start of the hockey season, Zingaretti said. The Penguins&#8217; first home game is on Oct. 12.The contract approved by the authority for the LED lighting project included names and numbers.NGU Sports Lighting of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Musco Lighting of Oskaloosa, Iowa, submitted bids that were compared in a matrix set up by Mike Wilczynski, area operations manager.NGU came out ahead, said Donna Cupinski, chairwoman of the authority&#8217;s capital improvements and strategic planning committee. But due to the complexity of the project an expert is needed to make sure it&#8217;s done correctly, so she asked that Bill Brennan, a lighting consultant from St. Augustine, Fla., be hired at a cost of $10,800.&#8220;To give Brennan Services and NGU Sports Lighting the opportunity to complete the project as best suited for our arena, the capital improvements committee recommends that we hire Brennan Services and NGU Sports Lighting at an amount not to exceed $500,000,&#8221; Cupinski said.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jerry Lynottjlynott@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</shirttailMeta></div>

Pouring rights contract for soft drinks pending at Mohegan Sun Arena