Some members of the Centennial Authority, which
oversees the operations of the Raleigh Entertainment &
Sports Arena, "complain" that NC State Univ. (NCSU) is
"double dipping," by charging the arena's suiteholders for
tickets to basketball games while the school also receives
$440,000 in suite-licensing fees, according to Dan Kane of
the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. NCSU is "charging $40 a
ticket" to leaseholders who sit in luxury suites at the
arena -- "which cost as much as $150,000 a year" -- because
their contract with the Authority says, in part, "For each
permanent seat in a Private Suite or Party Suite, and for
each Basketball Event, [NCSU] agrees that it will sell one
(1) Premium Ticket, at Face Value, to the
lessee/licensee..." But the Hurricanes, "who actually
handled the leases," had told the suiteholders that tickets
to basketball and hockey games -- along with other events --
"would be free." Hurricanes Owner Peter Karmanos "coughed
up" $475,000 for the basketball tickets and now wants
"somebody" to reimburse him. Karmanos: "All I did was
compromise at that point in time for the benefit of all the
parties involved. I don't ever want the public to pay the
price for a misunderstanding" (NEWS & OBSERVER, 1/21).
