Saturday, March 28, 2009

Bradley Center bailout

So...now Governor Doyle is seeking $5 million in state bonding support to upgrade the Bradley Center.
In a statement, Ulice Payne Jr., the chairman of the Bradley Center board of directors, said, "the time has come for the state and the people of Wisconsin to invest in its successful future."


"In the meantime, the building is in need of an upgrade and maintenance, according to a fact sheet distributed by the Bradley Center. The lengthy list includes: outdated mechanical and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment; an outdated scoreboard; a deteriorating roof and exterior façade; an obsolete hockey rink system; outdated event production technology; aging and inefficient lighting; and a significant number of seats that need to be replaced or refurbished."
So, as a taxpayer, I should pay for the future of the Bradley Center- which I don't use, but about which I distinctly remember the 'hundreds of dollars for Hannah Montana tickets' phenomenon from January 2008- but not repairs for the Estabrook Dam, which I do use?

3 comments:

mikemiller34 said...

Isn't it depressing to think of how when we came into this world--and a fair while afterwards--the "bread and circuses" for the masses (sports, TV, pop music) were at least good, occasionally even great? At some point (I'd locate it about 1988, when the Reagan Revolution was sealed by Bush 41's election), the powers that be discovered that it didn't need to be good to sell.

Anonymous said...

When the Estabrook Dam hosts concerts and sports events, I will consider supporting it's repair.

The River Otter said...

Obviously one of my points is that "recreation" means different things to different people. My other point is that a commercial venue such as the Bradley Center should be making enough money to finance its own repairs.