General public not on the hook for upgrades and repairs, as those are covered by tax proceedsGetty Images
Nationwide Arena upkeep costs "could be set to skyrocket," as a recent study found that the 20-year-old facility "faces $94.4 million in capital-improvement expenses over the next five years," according to a front-page piece by Bill Bush of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority Exec Dir Don Brown said that the general public is "not on the hook for any of the upgrades and repairs because 'these cap-ex projects are met from casino tax and admissions tax proceeds.'" That said, those revenues sources have "plunged because of the coronavirus pandemic." Brown said that the parties who are "on the hook to pay for needed upgrades are funding agents of 'Columbus Arena Management,' or 'the CAM.'" They are the Blue Jackets, Ohio State and an affiliate of Nationwide Realty Investors, which originally constructed the arena before turning it over to taxpayers in 2011." OSU entered into a deal to "jointly run Nationwide Arena and the university's Schottenstein Center in 2010." Brown said that OSU may "terminate its funding-partner obligations if one of two conditions occurs: its arena management agreement is terminated by the CAM; or the Blue Jackets leave Nationwide Arena, both of which appear unlikely" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 11/25).
