Columbus Blue Jackets: Nationwide Arena In The News
By Frank Walker
For Columbus Blue Jackets fans there may be a wait before you see some planned improvements at Nationwide Arena.
For those who are unaware of Nationwide Arena’s financial past here is a brief primer. The arena was originally to be paid for by the city of Columbus. Unknown to the citizens of Columbus at the time Columbus Blue Jackets founding owner John H McConnel assured NHL commissioner Gary Bettman before the vote that an arena would be built regardless of the result of the vote. The measure to build the arena lost at the ballot but the franchise was awarded due to the arena being privately funded by a large group of interests including Mr. McConnel and Nationwide Insurance.
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Fast forward to 2011 and the Columbus Blue Jackets say they are losing roughly $8 million dollars each year and that paying for Nationwide Arena debt and upkeep is an albatross on the neck of the franchise. A plan is agreed to in which the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority will buy the arena and will receive help from the city of Columbus in the form of casino tax revenue.
Yesterday the Columbus Dispatch printed a story by Rick Rouan that stated:
"A fund meant to buy new seats or replace the roof at Nationwide Arena already is running dry three years after the city and county agreed to use casino tax money to buy and operate the arena.As casino tax receipts have lagged predictions, the share of money Columbus and Franklin County send to the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority almost exclusively is being used to subsidize the management company formed to market and run the arena. That leaves little for improvements — and nothing to pay off the loans the authority used to purchase the arena.The deal brokered in 2012 called for the authority to set aside a total of about $2.2 million for major projects the last two years, with more cash funneled into that account each year.So far, though, less than $400,000 has been deposited into the capital-improvement fund, and only about $100,000 remains in the account. The authority has started to defer projects on its 25-year plan for the arena."
For the short term what this means for Columbus Blue Jacket fans is that we will not see a lot of shiny new bobbles around the arena for the foreseeable future. This does not mean that the team couldn’t spend some money on upgrades if they desire but I would rather they put that money on the ice in some way. No one should panic over news like this since the team has a lease at the arena until 2039.
These are the trials and tribulations of being a fan in a “non-traditional hockey market”.