January 27, 2006

Sonics: But all the other kids have new toys!

The Seattle Sonics' plan for a $200 million taxpayer-funded upgrade to KeyArena, which seemed to be going nowhere just three months ago, abruptly sprung back to life yesterday, as state legislators introduced a bill to extend restaurant and hotel tax surcharges to pay for the renovations. It was so abrupt, in fact, that nobody had bothered to tell the Seattle City Council, which plans to study the matter and issue a conclusion in April. The legislature, meanwhile, is scheduled to wrap up in March - given that the state previously overruled a local referendum in approving funding for the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field in 1995, I think I can see where this is headed.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, meanwhile, reports the reason for the Sonics' dissatisfaction with their current home: "Team officials argue that since a $73.4 million KeyArena remodeling 12 years ago, the luxury suites have become outdated compared with those at the two new stadiums across town." Those would be Safeco Field and the Seahawks' Qwest Field, both of which were previously built with the same public hotel and restaurant tax funds that the Sonics are now after. Only with stadiums can last year's model become obsolete just because someone across town bought a new one - well, okay, not only with stadiums.