State To Pay Parish For Hornets To Practice At Alario Center

Louisiana To Help Offset Cost Of Hornets Using Alario Center

The state of Louisiana is set to pay Jefferson Parish up to $457,000 a year for the next two years for the Hornets to use Alario Center as their practice facility, but the deal “isn’t expected to be signed for at least two weeks” until the team’s ’07-08 schedule is released, according to Meghan Gordon of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE.  The parish operates the state-owned facility.  Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District Chair Tim Coulon said that the goal in the talks “was to limit the team’s impact on the Alario Center as much as possible.”  After the NBA releases the team’s schedule, Coulon said that he would try to free up New Orleans Arena on days in which events are already booked at the Alario Center.  SMG Regional VP Doug Thornton, whose group manages the arena, said that double booking “would have to be resolved on a case-by-case basis” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/17).