Article Contributed on: 10/20/2006 12:04:39 PM
BROOMFIELD - Only a year after its groundbreaking ceremony, construction crews are putting the final touches on the much-anticipated
Broomfield Event Center, which will open its doors to the public in November.
The $45 million center is scheduled to host a free open house Nov. 5 where the public can get its first glimpse of the new stadium, season tickets holders can pick up tickets and suite holders can check out their view of the arena.
The venue, particularly its sound system, will be put to the true test, however, on Nov. 9 when the carpet is rolled out for nine-time Grammy award-winner
Bonnie Raitt.
Trey Medlock, executive vice-president and general manager for the event center, said Raitt should help lend a sense of credibility to the center, which is expected to host 130 events per year.
"Bonnie said she wanted to play the event center when we touched base with her," he said. "We're going to have some big names come through here in the future."
The Broomfield Event Center, located off the Boulder Turnpike at Wadsworth Boulevard, will be home to the
Rocky Mountain Rage, a minor league hockey team, and the
Colorado 14ers of the new NBA development league. Both teams will play between 25-30 games at the stadium during the regular season.
Medlock said the two minor league teams hope to draw a fan base from neighboring cities like Westminster, Arvada, Thornton, Northglenn, Longmont, Superior and Lafayette, as well as Broomfield.
Event center officials are banking on a potential rivalry between the Rage and the Colorado Eagles, who play 45 miles up the road in Loveland, to help draw fans into the 6,000-seat stadium. The Eagles joined the league when the
Budweiser Events Center, also known as The Ranch, opened its doors in September of 2003.
"I think it's a wonderful thing," Medlock said. "It's going to be one of the closest rivalries in all of sports. It's a great thing for minor league hockey."
A financial rivalry started long before the first puck was dropped. The Eagles filed a lawsuit against the Central Hockey League a little more than a year ago, claiming the league broke a franchise agreement by allowing the event center to be built so close and is encroaching on its territorial rights.
The courtroom battle is ongoing, Medlock said. The actual teams, meanwhile, will square off against each other at least 12 times during the regular season.
The Rage drew first blood in the rivalry, edging out the Eagles 5-4 on Oct. 20.
The Broomfield Event Center is billing itself as a family-friendly venue where you don't have to dig deep into your pockets to see a live sporting event. An ad campaign that featured a crying baby atop a mound of cash with the tagline, "Don't support million dollar cry babies," was bagged after complaints from some professional organizations in the community.
Fans are taking a "wait-and-see" approach before purchasing season and individual tickets, Medlock said, but all events will likely be sold out at the event center for the first week.
City officials say the new center will help make Broomfield a destination in the metro area.
"Broomfield is fast becoming a complete city and county," said Broomfield City and County Manager
George Di Ciero. "The Broomfield Event Center adds another dimension as an economic generator. It is an asset that will bring entertainment to Broomfield and the entire region. It will bring people in to shop and creates job opportunities for Broomfield residents as well as others in the area."
The center was funded through bonds issued by the city that will be paid off through sales and property taxes generated by Arista, a 217-acre mixed-use development that will include approximately 1,200 homes and 600,000 to 800,000 square feet of retail space. The Broomfield Event Center will serve as the anchor of the Arista development.
The event center is expected to be a major economic engine for Broomfield. During the years the bonds are being paid, an estimated $400,000 a year in sales tax revenue will go to open space, trails and parks and about $700,000 a year will be collected from the county sales tax, Di Ciero said.
After the bonds have been paid off, the center should generate around $7 million in sales tax revenues, he said.
The general concept of the Arista development, which is is being financed by Wiens Development Group, has been approved by the city but there are some final details that still need to be ironed out, Di Ciero said.
AT A GLANCE
-- $45 million construction budget
-- 6,000 seats (923 club seats, 26 suites)
-- Additional 1,500 seats for concerts and special events
-- 180,000 square-feet
UPCOMING EVENTS
Nov. 5 - Open house
Nov. 9 - Bonnie Raitt
Nov. 10 - Home opener for Rocky Mountain Rage
Nov. 30 - William's Sister Tour
Dec. 1 - Home opener for Colorado 14ers
Dec. 8-10 - Disney On Ice