Arena's future

Your June 9 editorial condemning the Civic Arena ("Reality Trumps Fantasy") is typical for this newspaper. The phrase "despite claims to its historic significance" really illustrates your ignorance, as the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission approved eligibility for a listing on the National Register.

There is no comparison to the Consol Energy Center as the Civic Arena possesses a retractable dome. Updating the Civic Arena would have cost taxpayers less than spending $321 million to build a new arena.

One of the interested parties before the Sports & Exhibition Authority advocates competing arenas, driving down costs to event promoters and increasing profits. This will generate more events, business, amusement and parking taxes that the city desperately needs. The Civic Arena will host needed ice time for youth hockey, something Mario Lemieux won't do at his new palace.

If the retractable dome has issues, it proves the SEA failed to adequately maintain the Civic Arena and misspent $34 million in county sales taxes.

Pittsburgh would be better served by keeping the Civic Arena for future generations. Redevelopment will cost $29 million in federal earmarks (adding to our national debt), untold state, county and municipal matching funds and government tax increment financing that will add to the taxpayers' burden.

In the end, the taxpayers will also pay $3.9 million for demolition while leaving an additional $9.3 million in Civic Arena debt in its wake. Preservation makes historical and financial sense.

R.J. MITCHELL
Edgewood