Facility Notes

Sacramento city officials said that they are “buoyed by a flurry of interest this week among private parking operators in a deal to finance a downtown arena” for the NBA Kings. In Sacramento, Tony Bizjak notes 25 entities, including “most of the country's largest parking companies, notified the city they are considering applying to manage city downtown parking facilities, in exchange for paying hundreds of millions of dollars upfront to help the city build an arena.” The city has given private companies “until Jan. 30 to respond to its recently issued” request for qualifications, and is “expected to update the City Council on the parking effort on Feb. 14” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 1/20).

WALL PIECES: The WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Brian Costa reports the Mets are “selling several pieces” of the original Citi Field outfield wall, which “is being renovated to reduce the ballpark's dimensions, in an MLB.com auction.” Items for sale include “ads for Wheat Thins, Delta, Lincoln and Verizon, along with banners commemorating" the Mets' '00 NL championship and '88 and '06 division titles. Leading bids for the wall panels Thursday “ranged from $800 to $1,100” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/20).

NEW DIGS: In Las Vegas, Matt Youmans notes UNLV's Mendenhall Center practice facility Thursday “was unveiled in a private celebration.” The facility took “about five years of planning,” and cost “approximately $13 million.” The three-level building, which “is connected to Cox Pavilion and the Thomas & Mack Center, is a 35,000-square-foot showcase.” UNLV basketball coach Dave Rice said that the team “could start practicing in the Mendenhall Center ‘in the next few weeks’ after building inspections are completed” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/20). Meanwhile, Temple Univ.'s men's basketball  team held its first practice at the Donald and Nancy Resnick Court at the school's newly renovated practice facility. A grand opening for the 30,000-square-foot facility will be held later this year (Temple).