It was great to see Exploration Place drawing big crowds with its Titanic exhibition, which closed Sunday after a successful run that drew more than 70,000 people and made about $200,000 profit for the museum.
Hosting these blockbuster traveling exhibitions is looking like at least part of the solution for turning around the fiscally troubled science museum.
As Exploration Place president Al Meloni told The Eagle, “Wichita is ready for world-class quality. The arena’s got nothing to worry about. If you bring quality acts, people will always respond.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield
About two dozen people attended a rally for an arena revote Sunday. Not exactly an overwhelming show of support.
Mayor Carlos Mayans attended, saying that he wasn’t opposing the arena but was all for accountability. "This is not as much about the arena than it is about their frustrations," he said of those attending the rally.
Well, no — the rally was to call for a revote on the arena to scuttle the project.
Did any WE Bloggers show up?
Posted by Randy Scholfield
It’s true, as Sedgwick County Commissioner Gwen Welshimer said last week, that citizens are "sick of consultants." She and other dissenting commissioners were right to reject another study of downtown arena parking until they know more about the study’s scope and cost. That’s just good fiscal oversight.
But as our Tuesday editorial argues, hiring consultants likely makes sense in this case. Crafting a final downtown parking plan involves complicated issues that call for expertise and experience, such as how best to manage the parking system, meet the needs of new neighborhood redevelopment and office space, and incorporate mass transit.
Oh, yeah — and do we need a new parking garage or not?
Commissioners need to make sure they get this right. If that means hiring a consultant, then do it.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
As previously noted on this blog, brand-new Sedgwick County Commissioner Kelly Parks wants to talk to his fellow commissioners and county staff about possibly calling another vote on the arena.
“I have constituents that want to revote on it,” he told The Eagle editorial board Tuesday, adding, “I want to make sure that the ballot question, that the promises in there are kept.”
Our editorial today argues that it’s too late — because $106 million has been raised, the management firm and design have been chosen, and some properties have been acquired. Besides, the public already approved it two years ago. As we said, “Arena doubters should show more respect for the already stated will of voters, and for the positive impact that just the prospect of the arena has had on downtown.”
What do you think?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It can be appropriate for history to trump progress, but the Wichita City Council was right to override its own Historic Preservation Board Tuesday and give Sedgwick County the go-ahead to demolish seven "historic" buildings in the footprint of the downtown arena. These buildings arguably fit the criteria for gaining historic status, yet weren’t so special as to merit scuttling the arena; the fate of eight more buildings remains to be determined. Going forward, the city, county and community will need to do all they can to help Episcopal Social Services relocate and raise money for a new building. "It’s just kinda sad, . . . but I know it’s for the community good," said Sandra Lyon, executive director of Episcopal Social Services. She’s right on both counts.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Wichita’s entertainment scene is about to kick it up a notch. It’s good that Sedgwick County officials are negotiating with a proven national company, SMG, to manage the downtown arena. Its track record suggests it will deliver more major acts to Wichita than ever before.
Of course, the arena naysayers won’t want to go. But most Wichitans will welcome more big-name excitement in our city.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Some Wichitans are pouncing on news that the cost estimate of the downtown arena has risen from $184.5 million to $201 million — as it turns out, the amount of revenue now expected to be raised from the 30-month arena sales tax.
Cynics will see that as too convenient. But the higher price tag of the arena wasn’t that hard to predict — many public projects around the nation have seen cost overruns because of rising material costs and other factors.
Politically, though, the Sedgwick County Commission will take it on the chin, especially in light of earlier commitments to bring the project in on time and within budget.
“I’m still very, very confident we’re going to be able to build this within the budget we put out,” Commission Chairman Ben Sciortino told The Eagle back in April, referring to the $184.5 million figure.
It might be safer and more realistic for county leaders to pledge that they’ll stay within the revenues brought in by the 30-month tax, whatever that amount raises.
By law, the tax will come to an end Dec. 31, 2007.
If the final cost goes beyond those revenues — and that’s not hard to imagine — commissioners should have to go back to the public and make their case for more funds.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The Rolling Stones concert proved that Wichita can deliver 32,000 fans to a topflight event — and pull off the logistics like an old pro, too.
Yes, it can happen in Wichita.
This biggest concert in Wichita’s history should silence the naysayers who whine that the new downtown arena won’t draw people and won’t sell out. Nonsense. If the 17,000-seat arena can attract top acts, then the people will come.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The sales tax for the downtown arena continues to exceed projections, bringing in more than $6.3 million last month — $375,000 more than projected. That puts the total collected halfway through the 1 percent, 30-month sales tax at nearly $85.5 million — $1.5 million ahead of schedule toward the goal of $184.5 million. Regrettably, the pace of collections is not so great that people are still talking about ending the tax early, and there no doubt are plenty of unanticipated costs ahead. But seeing the project dollars ahead is far preferable to the alternative.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Arena skeptics might want to consider what the arena already has done for downtown commercial real estate values. As an Eagle article noted, commercial office buildings are moving at a brisk pace. In 2005, 106 business properties sold, valued at $68 million. Compare that with 2002, when 28 properties sold, valued at $15 million.
“There’s more enthusiasm downtown than we’ve seen in many, many years,” said Marlin Penner, president of John T. Arnold Associates.
A large part of investors’ confidence is the downtown arena going in, and WaterWalk.
‚”You plant an arena downtown, and downtown explodes,” said Dave Lundberg, one of the Minnesota developers.
The arena is already changing the landscape of downtown — and ground hasn’t even been broken yet. In short, the arena is performing as promised.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Sedgwick County commissioners say they’re just trying to treat everyone the same in appraising property in the footprint of the downtown arena.
But as our editorial on today’s Opinion pages notes, that’s not what happened in the case of Episcopal Social Services. This provider of valuable community services deserves better from the county.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
