Jackets want to sell Arena to Franklin County
From Business First of Columbus:
Nationwide Arena sale under discussion
by Jeff BellThe Columbus Blue Jackets are leading discussions about the possible sale of Nationwide Arena to Franklin County, using higher taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to help fund the deal.
Preliminary talks have been held between Blue Jackets and Franklin County officials, state legislators and Nationwide Insurance executives over helping the National Hockey League club solve its economic problems, Columbus Business First has learned. One option under discussion calls for the county to buy the 18,000-seat arena from Nationwide so the team can work toward getting a better lease.
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Related Tags: Arena District • blue jackets • franklin county • hockey • nationwide arena • Sports • taxes
May 29th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Why would the county want to own a building where “revenue from events isn’t covering operating costs?” This is a horrible, horrible idea.
May 30th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Like it or not, arena plan needs to be considered
Saturday, May 30, 2009 3:07 AM
BY BOB HUNTER
Team officials say the Blue Jackets have lost $80 million the past seven years and that their lease with Nationwide Arena is a big cause of that. Are we really prepared to let this continue and eventually see the team move to Kansas City? And if it did, what kind of economic impact would that have on the city? How would it affect restaurants, hotels, bars, stores, etc., and those who work there? What would happen to the Arena District if the arena didn’t have a major tenant?
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June 1st, 2009 at 9:08 am
I think it’s arguably a conflict of interest for Bob Hunter, or anyone from the Dispatch, to be promoting this idea that would directly benefit their company as partial owners of the arena.
I don’t want to lose the Blue Jackets, but I have no faith that the county can make money on the arena where Nationwide/The Dispatch have failed (unless they can possibly buy it at a bargain basement price). Should Franklin County really subsidize the team more than $10 Million per year ($80 M over the last seven years)? Still sounds like a bad idea to me.
June 1st, 2009 at 9:19 am
I’m with johnwirtz. The economic impact to the city wouldn’t actually be that bad if they left. I don’t want to lose them, either, but we’d get through it just fine. No city really loses economic activity when a sports team leaves—it only has neighborhood effects, not city-wide effects. This is the downside of relying on a sports venue/team for any kind of city planning. They might pick up and leave any time. Plus, if we subsidize now, where does it end? What if we buy the arena and it continues to lose money? At what point do we say enough is enough? I’d prefer to just save the money and not go down that road at all.
I still think Nationwide and the Blue Jackets can and should work it out. I just think they don’t want to because they’d rather get saved by the county. Especially right now, the county should put its foot down.
June 1st, 2009 at 11:23 am
Hey all… I was just invited to a blogger/media panel with Greg Kirstein (Senior VP of the Blue Jackets) to listen and discuss this issue.
Do you all have questions for me to ask? Anything you’d like to hear straight from the horse’s mouth? ;)
June 1st, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Ask them why public money should get involved. Nationwide built the arena and the Jackets signed the lease. Doesn’t it seem to him that the government has nothing to do with it.
If you really wanna risk annoying him—and I’m not saying you should—try asking why we don’t just try to buy part of the team instead of the arena. Seems just as appropriate, if not more so.
June 2nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Commissioners Oppose Sin-Tax Hike For Arena
By CANDICE LEE
Published: June 2, 2009
The owners of the money-losing Columbus Blue Jackets want a tax increase on beer, wine, liquor and cigarettes to underwrite a county takeover of the arena where they play, defying the will of local voters who repeatedly rejected public financing of the center.
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June 2nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Today Business First reports that the Jackets have nixed the SIn Tax idea.
The Blue Jackets have been leading discussions on a plan in which the state would grant Franklin County commissioners the authority to impose or put on the ballot an increase in alcohol and tobacco sales. Money from those additional “sin taxes” would be used to finance a county purchase of the arena, which is owned by a partnership between Nationwide Arena and Dispatch Printing Co.
The commissioners said they are against imposing such a tax and need more information from the Blue Jackets on what exactly is being proposed.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:02 pm