Mary German

2000 Just Another Year To Area Seniors

MARK FITZHENRY markf@leader.net
 Wednesday, January 05, 2000 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





Do officials negotiate, debate and disagree every time an arena pops up? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Absolutely. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Does it escalate to Luzerne County-esque proportions? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's the assessment from numerous public officials, arena administrators
and team owners who have played a role in recent arena projects. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the past two years, arenas have been constructed in Fort Myers, Fla.;
Greenville, S.C.; Lowell, Mass.; North Little Rock, Ark.; and Trenton, N.J.
There are ongoing negotiations for a new arena in Columbia, S.C. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 People involved in those projects were briefed on the recent happenings in
Luzerne County: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre Township Council originally voted to put on a 10-percent
amusement tax for arena events, but settled on 5 percent as per state law. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The arena authority, whose members are appointed by Luzerne County
commissioners, sued the township 32 days after the arena opened. The lawsuit
claims the tax is unconstitutional. The case will be heard today in county
court. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The township responded by pulling two permits, even though doing so cannot
prevent hockey games from being played there. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The township is considering placing a tax on the $4 parking fee already
imposed by the arena authority. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``That sounds like a pretty gross situation in Wilkes-Barre,'' said Carl
Scheer, developer of the BI-LO Center in Greenville, S.C. ``That's the
extreme.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While the battle in Luzerne County is considered extreme, it is natural for
parties to disagree on issues when a new arena is built. The main reason:
There are at least two parties involved in every project and they have their
own interests. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In Fort Myers, a private company bought public land and built Everblades
Arena. In Greenville, the city and county own the building but Scheer
developed it. In Trenton, the hockey team's owner oversaw construction before
turning the building over to Mercer County. Lowell's Tsongas Arena is run by a
board consisting of public and university officials. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Little Rock's scenario parallels Wilkes-Barre the most. The building,
Alltel Arena, is run by an authority chosen by public officials. The arena is
not in the county's largest city, but in a smaller one adjacent to it. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Here are the differences: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 North Little Rock officials have not employed an amusement tax, nor have
they considered a parking tax. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No parties involved in running the arena have filed a lawsuit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dave Berryman, owner of Alltel Arena's primary tenant, the RiverBlades
hockey team, said he is baffled by the shenanigans in Luzerne County. ``It's
amazing when money becomes an issue. Money always does something to people.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In cases in which negotiations did last, it was before the arenas were
built. It's common for decisions involving land and funding to last longer
than a year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it's rare for the public battling to continue more than a month after
an arena opens. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It sounds like it's truly detrimental to the project and the operation,''
said Jim Lambert, executive director of the county-run board that runs
Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton. ``I understand (Wilkes-Barre Township) wants
to have benefits, but certainly you need to have the arena operate as
sufficiently as it can so you have your debts covered. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``It's not in the best interests of the taxpayers of the county. When
you're trying to make the facility as profitable as possible, that doesn't
help. It doesn't lend itself to positive marketing. People need to enjoy the
arena, they need to want to come to the arena. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``This, to me, seems to be moving in the opposite direction of that.''

Other Towns' Arena Battles Mild Compared To Local Feud In Several Other Communities, Disputes About A New Arena Were Settled Before It Opened.