On the eve of the Tuesday’s latest Sacramento arena task force meetings, I found another reason why the old arena doesn’t work.
As I stood up for the National Anthem before the Kings’ loss to the Utah Jazz, my entire row rocked and about a quarter of my beer sloshed out from the cup holder.
Add that to the list of issues that continue to baffle me why this city doesn’t have a solution to replace Arco Arena, excuse me, Power Balance Pavilion.
Now, I am not heavy by any means, weighing in at about 185 pounds. And this was the second such incident where this happened this season. You see, on opening night half the row in section 114 came off its hinges. That’s about 10 people who were standing at tipoff while workers were repairing the seats.
And yes, the Maloofs, who run the PBP, could replace the seats in the arena and provide better maintenance. But there are so many other problems there isn’t room on the Internet to list them and they all affect the the way in which we enjoy events there. Now, the problems have piled up too high to sit still.
About five years ago, I toured the arena and saw many of the issues with the facility. It was built on the cheap with a tiny footprint in order to quickly replace the first Arco Arena, which was a glorified warehouse.
Contrasting that with arenas I’ve toured in Phoenix, Nashville, Minneapolis-St. Paul , Boston and other cities, I was shocked that the arena was so bad. PBP has:
*One concourse, so it’s tough to walk around quickly before, during and after events. Most major arenas have two if not three concourses.
*One kitchen to make all of the food for 17,000 fans. Most modern arenas have at least three, which is one reason I have issues with the lack of dining choices there.
*Two loading docks, which is three fewer than most arenas have for the needs of major concerts, circuses and other events.
*An out-dated ice rink, which runs on an ammonia-based freezing system, which is all but obsolete.
*An ice rink configuration that was constructed perpendicular from the basketball court, taking at least 15 hours to set up because it means pushing back sections of seats. Most arenas make the switch in three hours and can have both a basketball game and a hockey game in one day.
*A trickle-down effect with the rink, which negates any regular-season hockey and arena football games during the NBA season because the setup takes too long.
*And the lighting in the parking, which often is not good enough to see the signs for where you parked.
As someone who has seen nearly every pro arena in North America, Arco – or PBJ or whatever it is called – has won the race for the worst in the country. It is one of the oldest in the NBA and was built with no forethought, leaving it far behind some college and minor-league arenas as well.
The new Stockton Arena, while a third of its size, makes Arco look 50 years old. Oakland’s Oracle Arena is gorgeous despite a cramped footprint and makes for an enjoyable experience.
We know from a recent Ailene Voisin column in The Sacramento Bee that an arena makeover would cost just as much as a new arena and wouldn’t solve many of the issues.
This is not whining. It’s merely asking that we have what nearly every other major city in the country has. That is, if we still want to be a major city. And these are the types of facilities – NBA team or no NBA team – that major cities need to draw entertainment.
Here’s hoping that the arena task force can find some way to replace PBP soon. This is not so much as to save the Kings, but to save the quality of life in Sacramento.
One more thing: If the Kings do leave because of an outdated arena, it will cost a lot more to get another team — in any sport — in Sacramento than it would just to build a new arena.
Copyright 2011/Bill Bradley
What do you think? Comment below.
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And where beg ask, given the state of governmental budgets in California, should the money come from? A tax increase. Ain’t going to happen. So will the dollars come from the schools, the police, medical care for the poor?
I like the Kings and think they improve the quality of life in Sacremento but if Sactown wants to be a big time city investing in better librarians for the elementry schools would be a better idea.
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