Scaled back and moved Athletic Performance Center

[Dr. Blackheart]

There are desires and then there is reality. I agree that MU is trying to move pieces to make this sort of thing possible, but it is highly unlikely.

Just from a timing perspective we are going to have to have an on-campus arena ready to go by the time the seven year lease is up, not after. Current Bucks leadership doesn't need us, we have no leverage. Bringing plans to have an on-campus arena doesn't add leverage, Bucks can just as soon tell us to go pound sand.

Wintrust was built in two years. Barrett runs again in 2020, maybe his last term and legacy when he puts the final ribbon on his last term and doesn't worry about expending his political capital. The light rail wasn't built just for phase 1. A mixed public-private use, sold in via phases, is sellable in Wisconsin as long as growth can be seen. And, there could be a lot of private success by then.

As to the Bucks, connecting all this would be bigger boon than losing MU for the crappy buy games. For MU, it may just take donating the land and throwing in a few dollars much less than owning and operating it by themselves. MU will be watching the Wintrust Arena carefully.

[warriorchick]

Yep.  Wintrust North (public-private). The Crumbling Panther Den comes down. The current Convention Center expanded north which connects the Bucks Arena, their Entertainment Plaza, the Bucks Bradley Center hotel, and the Brewery to the North with the MU Scoop Benny Dome and Wisconsin Ave to the South to unify Westown.  The Grand Redevelopment is already underway. All hotels and venues connected by skyways like Minneapolis.

Btw, the land for this is all under control of interested parties. The light rail phases run right through all this. This also connects four university campuses too. They couldn't blow up the Mecca before as the other teams had no where to play realistically (and politically). MU can split games between the two arenas like Nova does, and have the chance to play NCAA games at home.

#donedeal

Unlike WinTrust, Marquette would not get a cent of public money for this, especially coming so soon after building the Chaluparena.

[mu03eng]

Wintrust was built in two years. Barrett runs again in 2020, maybe his last term and legacy when he puts the final ribbon on his last term and doesn't worry about expending his political capital. The light rail wasn't built just for phase 1. A mixed public-private use, sold in via phases, is sellable in Wisconsin as long as growth can be seen. And, there could be a lot of private success by then.

As to the Bucks, connecting all this would be bigger boon than losing MU for the crappy buy games. For MU, it may just take donating the land and throwing in a few dollars much less than owning and operating it by themselves. MU will be watching the Wintrust Arena carefully.

Dude, the light rail thing is dead in MKE after phase 1. Between the operating cost, the insanity of how they are building, and the business loss from inconvenienced customers there will be no phase 2.

Barrett couldn't marshal the forces to get all the competing interests to come together for the new arena to be part of an expansion of the convention center and revamp the theater district....what makes you think as a lame duck he's going to be able to get the Bucks ownership to cooperate with a plan that has no real impact on their bottom line simply because "it's good for the city"?

[MUfan12]

From my understanding the talk of an on-campus arena came and went fairly quickly. Could it be revived? Sure. But MU doesn't have the money, and will have a hard enough time trying to raise enough scratch for the rest of Lovell's ideas.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Dude, the light rail thing is dead in MKE after phase 1. Between the operating cost, the insanity of how they are building, and the business loss from inconvenienced customers there will be no phase 2.

Barrett couldn't marshal the forces to get all the competing interests to come together for the new arena to be part of an expansion of the convention center and revamp the theater district....what makes you think as a lame duck he's going to be able to get the Bucks ownership to cooperate with a plan that has no real impact on their bottom line simply because "it's good for the city"?

Time will tell.  And who said this wouldn't be profitable for the Bucks' owners. They didn't need the Admirals, and MU is not make or break long-term for them either. The Panther Arena is a physical blocker for them too for future development and is a public sink hole. MU owns the land that solves that problem.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Dude, the light rail thing is dead in MKE after phase 1. Between the operating cost, the insanity of how they are building, and the business loss from inconvenienced customers there will be no phase 2.

We missed this.  Phase 2 of The Hop is a done deal.  Phase 3 is the Arena spur. No way it doesn't get built. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.jsonline.com/amp/740681001

[mu03eng]

We missed this.  Phase 2 of The Hop is a done deal.  Phase 3 is the Arena spur. No way it doesn't get built. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.jsonline.com/amp/740681001

There is no phase 2, Potowanami is just supporting the rail line that was already going in (2.5 mile track). That cost $128 million to build....a spur to the arena would cost at least that and that won't be covered by a federal grant like phase 1 was.

[Dr. Blackheart]

There is no phase 2, Potowanami is just supporting the rail line that was already going in (2.5 mile track). That cost $128 million to build....a spur to the arena would cost at least that and that won't be covered by a federal grant like phase 1 was.

Semantics then as the Spur is Phase 2 from their maps. Trump is lining up his infrastructure bill next.

Let's see if Phase 3 (arena) gets funded. Ryan will control that bill. Wisconsin highways for sure will be approved. This, questionable.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I think there's something to what Dr. B is saying. Not sure about all the moving pieces,  but specifically from an MU athletics perspective this would make a lot of sense