A $35M renovation was done in '14 to keep the state-owned XL Center in operationGETTY IMAGES
UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma yesterday "ripped into" the state of the team's longtime home, the XL Center, pointing out that the "success of the his team doesn't exactly match the venue in Hartford that they're expected to play in," according to Kelli Stacy of the HARTFORD COURANT. Auriemma said, "When things stay the same they’re actually getting worse, so that place has stayed the same for a long, long time so it’s gotten worse. Unless something’s done, it’s not going to get anything other than worse. We’re the No. 1 team in the country year in and year out. We have the best program in the country year in and year out, so we deserve to play in the best facilities year in and year out. And other than Gampel Pavilion, we do not." The venue had a $35M renovation completed in '14 to "keep the building in operation." Pushes have been made for "much larger renovations," including a call for $250M from then-Gov. Dannel Malloy and more recently an effort to have the state fund $100M in improvements. Auriemma said that he is "particularly upset by the fact that, like Rentschler Field, the XL Center is owned by the state and the Huskies have to pay rent to play there" (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/19).
IN NEED OF HELP: In Hartford, Kenneth Gosselin noted Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont "did not include funding" for the XL Center in the "capital spending plan that was part of his two-year budget proposal." But last week, Lamont "signaled support for the XL Center arena, viewing it as a key building block for both the revitalization of downtown Hartford and economic health of the surrounding region." Ever since the $35M renovation was completed, the "future of the arena has been clouded." The renovations were "intended to keep the arena operating -- perhaps for a decade -- until a long-term strategy was mapped out" (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/16).
