In the future will UTEP play its basketball games in a Downtown arena?
Downtown arena? It's well along in the planning stages, and there's strategy to sell it as a much-needed positive to the El Paso public.
Word is the city, county, Downtown people and pro-El Paso growth people are all teammed up to push a Downtown arena that will have good access to not only I-10, but to the coming Southern Relief Route (the international bridges out to the Sunland Park Exit on I-10).
Bet that a new arena is going to happen. And it may not cost the local taxpayers a whole lot of money. Before the public gets its first official whiff, other money-generating avenues will be lined up. (One idea is taking $2 million in Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) money away from the Sports Commission and Coliseum (county) and using that money, instead, for the arena.
Razing the Coliseum is an issue; it will be a hotly contested debate because many, including myself, think there's a place for a new arena and the County Coliseum in El Paso. Small concerts. Local gatherings and fiestas — BYOB dances and such.
Anyway, right now the likely No. 1 site for a new arena is where City Hall sits (between I-10 and Paisano near the Union Depot night life area). Or, it could be near the international bridges if the Burlington railroad can be persuaded to move somewhere else, and quickly.
The city would moveits operations to the tall buildings district Downtown, possibly the Blue Flame Building, last used by the El Paso Independent School District. That's been talked about before.
On the same block as the present City Hall is the Insights Museum. The museum move has been talked about before, too. Supposedly the museum could move to a site near Sunland Park (where the dinosaur print was found). It's been in the news before. Somebody would have to actually build a new museum, though.
It will probably take at least five years to open the doors of a new arena, so any UTEP move would be down the road.
But just thinking ahead:
It's not like the Miners are a campus team, anyway. The Miners have always been El Paso "public" team. The Don is getting older.
It would be more convenient for El Pasoans to drive to a new arena Downtown than to find parking around UTEP; it's always a headache. The new parking garage helps, but it's still a traffic jam on Mesa Street.
Also, an arena Downtown would be a great boost for Downtown businesses, a major goal of the city and the movers and shakers.
They say an arena needs and "anchor" team to be successful? UTEP could be the new arena anchor team!
good, positive news! this is what we need! to focus on moving forward!
Posted by: grc | August 19, 2011 at 02:12 PM
A lot of major schools split their games between two arenas. I know UNLV does it. I wish all of UTEP's basketball games were against AQ schools but we know that is not possible. The Alcorn State and Pine Bluff games could be played at The Don. The Memphis, Arizona, and other big games could be played downtown.
Posted by: Binks | August 19, 2011 at 03:00 PM
Think a little harder Joe....
Tell me why Bob Stull would decide to start splitting the already marginal income they make off ticket sales with the city in the form of rental/use fees for the new arena when they already have a nearly perfect venue they don't have to pay someone to use?
I don't see it making sense financially for regular season games...Post season and tourney games maybe..
Posted by: Robnelp | August 19, 2011 at 03:02 PM
Not a single knock at miner athletics!! Are you finally coming around.
A new arena would be nice, but the city will never set a steady revenue. Concerts are rarely a sellout. UTEP had a tough time selling out games last year.
And, UTEP would end up losing half it's sports income, I don't see Stull or Natalicio buying into it.
Posted by: !!Ssab Mud | August 19, 2011 at 03:24 PM
"A lot of major schools split their games between two arenas. I know UNLV does it."
You don't know squat. UNLV plays ALL of its home games at the Thomas & Mack Center and has since it was built.
This is a dumb idea. UTEP won't play games downtown unless something happens to the DHC.
Posted by: Fact Guy | August 19, 2011 at 04:48 PM
The Miners can't fill a 12,000 seat stadium as it is. How will it look when the 7-8,000 fans sit in a 20,000 seat, empty arena?
Think the students will be enthused about going to a downtown game? You could easily lose another 1,000 fans right there. Might as well throw out any home court advantage the Don provides.
Then there's a question of the kind of contract UTEP will have to commit to. What will those games cost the already strapped-for-cash university? Where will the money come from? Ticket price increase? Tuition increase? Tax increase?
You know, this sounds exactly like something UTEP administration would jump on. Ouch.
Posted by: Morgan | August 19, 2011 at 11:09 PM
why you so stupid, stupid?
Posted by: joe blow | August 20, 2011 at 01:21 AM
wow el paso should go in with utep tare the don down and build a brand new state of the art stadium right in utep. im sorry right now downtown has a long way to go... and puttin a stadium wont make it any prettier i say lets keep building up utep and making people want to go there. sorry downtown seems lost a very lost cause to me.
Posted by: miner fan | August 20, 2011 at 11:26 AM
I like to think of myself as a pro-El Paso growth person, but this seems completely unnecessary for reasons stated above.
Posted by: Stahala | August 20, 2011 at 02:27 PM
"You don't know squat. UNLV plays ALL of its home games at the Thomas & Mack Center and has since it was built."
Hey Fact Guy, get your facts straight before you pop off. The use of caps in your reply didn't help either.
Every year UNLV plays some of its home games in the Orleans Arena.
Next time know what you are talking about before you rush to be a dick in your reply.
Posted by: Binks | August 20, 2011 at 03:21 PM
"this is a bad idea....waa waa wa..." Would you all like some cheese to go with your whine?
And you all wonder why its hard for recruits to come here...well its that negative small town mentality you all have. Downtown is garbage as is, and you all say no to progress? El Paso needs to grow somehow and UTEP is suffering because of a lack of growth. Joe is a turd, but he is absolutely right, things have to change for there to be growth. I THINK it's a great idea, and I wouldn't mind paying the extra taxes for this to happen.
Posted by: Miner student | August 21, 2011 at 03:39 AM
I don't see the point of it, especially when the "Don" can handle the games.
My biggest worry is that they will tear down the Coliseum or stop financing it. What will happen to the Rhinos hockey team, public ice skating, etc.?
As a parent who has a child playing ice hockey. It's a little scary to think we will no longer have a local ice rink.
Posted by: Jefe | August 22, 2011 at 09:52 AM
"this is a bad idea....waa waa wa..." Would you all like some cheese to go with your whine?
And you all wonder why its hard for recruits to come here...well its that negative small town mentality you all have. Downtown is garbage as is, and you all say no to progress? El Paso needs to grow somehow and UTEP is suffering because of a lack of growth. Joe is a turd, but he is absolutely right, things have to change for there to be growth. I THINK it's a great idea, and I wouldn't mind paying the extra taxes for this to happen.
Posted by: Miner student | August 21, 2011 at 03:39 AM
-------------------
Miner Student:
As long as student tuition and ticket prices are increased to support a move like this, I am all for it. This way, the students who get free tickets to see the games as well as the people who actually go to the games can fund the thing.
Posted by: Dayton Flyer | August 22, 2011 at 10:25 AM
UNLV plays ALL of it's games at the Thomas Mack. They don't or have they ever played at the Orleans Arena. The WCC has it's Basketball tourney there.
A downtown Arena in El Paso's third world country downtown.....that's comical, why not just build an 8,000 seat Arena because thats all that UTEP basketball attracts. 20,000 seat Arena? Give me a break....why don't they try and landscape this ugly city instead of investing money in things this city doesn't need YET!
Posted by: Chris | August 24, 2011 at 08:54 PM
How bout they work on getting a baseball team and men's soccer, programs that actually have a chance a getting some national attention
Posted by: mike dew | August 25, 2011 at 06:34 PM
Sorry Chris but you are wrong too. UNLV plays in the Orleans every single year. A rodeo comes to Las Vegas and takes over the Mack every year around December. Every. Single. Year.
Posted by: Binks | August 26, 2011 at 10:04 PM
That is why nothing got done in ElPaso.People's mentality has always been we don't need it.Look at San Antonio they invested in their city ,their downtown and now they got tourist from all over.Its is true that El Paso's downtown is ugly, but that is why investment is necessary like the downtown arena,make El Paso street like Austin's 6 TH STREET,and do away with those nasty open flea market. Think big El Paso it is about time.
Posted by: tony montoya | August 26, 2011 at 11:31 PM
That is why nothing got done in ElPaso.People's mentality has always been we don't need it.Look at San Antonio they invested in their city ,their downtown and now they got tourist from all over.Its is true that El Paso's downtown is ugly, but that is why investment is necessary like the downtown arena,make El Paso street like Austin's 6 TH STREET,and do away with those nasty open flea market. Think big El Paso it is about time.
Posted by: tony montoya | August 26, 2011 at 11:31 PM
= = = = = = =
And just where does the funding come from for "thinking big?" Raise taxes? Raise tuition? Raise student fees? Charge a toll for driving down the interstate?
Posted by: WilliamS | August 27, 2011 at 11:25 PM
I for one think it's a good idea to have a downtown arena...but we would need a pro-team or 2 to be in the arena. BRING BACK THE GENERALS AND THE PATRIOTS CAN PLAY AN INDOOR SOCCER SEASON!!!! As far as you negative PEOPLE are concerned...move to Andrews, you'rE the reason why El Paso does not prosper.
Posted by: Armando | August 28, 2011 at 12:20 PM
Tony Montoya, I also want to revitalize downtown and make it a hot tourist spot. But, I dont think a basketball arena is going to do that. If the Don is selling out every game, or El Paso gets an NBA team(hahaha), then we should build an arena downtown.
Posted by: Stahala | August 29, 2011 at 11:54 AM
Hey binks...you need to get YOUR facts straight. UNLV plays ONLY ONE GAME at the Orleans per season, and that's only when the Thomas & Mack is running the World Finals Rodeo. The Orleans holds 4000 for Basketball and that ONE game is rarely sold out because the Students don't come.
Posted by: Tig | September 01, 2011 at 09:59 PM
Hey Tig, keep up with the conversation. You simply verified what I have already said. Thanks for seconding what I said on 8/26. Your the best.
Posted by: Binks | September 02, 2011 at 12:01 AM