Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said yesterday that the city "needs a firm number" from the Bucks on what a new arena downtown will cost, according to Don Walker of the MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. He said that once that happens, the city and other stakeholders, including the state, can "figure out how to forge a financing plan." Barrett also acknowledged that "calls for the franchise's owners to contribute more toward the arena will emerge" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/10). Walker also reported Marquette Univ. has "no plans to contribute to a financing plan" for a new downtown arena. Marquette AD Bill Scholl said that negotiations with Bucks officials "centered on the current arrangement the men's basketball team has at the BMO Harris Bradley Center: a tenant-lease deal" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 3/7). Former Bucks Owner Herb Kohl when asked if he saw any roadblocks to potential public funding for the arena said, "From the beginning it has been understood it is going to be a public-private effort. The more private money, the more likely it's going to get done. There's a lot of private money on the table now, and I think more will be forthcoming. And it will be very unfortunate and [the arena project] won't happen if we said to all that private money 'go away' and we said to the Bucks 'go away.' The governor put a big chunk in his budget. That's still open to debate, but that was an indication that the state also understands this is something we must try and get done" (MILWAUKEE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/6 issue).
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE: A MILWAUKEE BUSINESS JOURNAL editorial is written under the header, "Time For Milwaukee Bucks To Outline Plan." State Rep. Dale Kooyenga "was right when he said recently that legislators need more information now on the Bucks proposal for a new arena, including a location and a financing plan." The Bucks "can help this process by laying out the specific arena plan, with its adjoining development, as soon as possible" (MILWAUKEE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/6 issue).
