Knoxville Ice Bears President/General Manger Mike Murray talks about recent news of Knoxville Coliseum renovations. Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel
The seats inside the Knoxville Coliseum are wooden. The paint on the ceiling is blotchy at best. When it rains, like it did in buckets over the weekend, the roof leaks.
Knoxville Ice Bears’ president and general manager Mike Murray had hoped the city would replace the Coliseum, which is where the Ice Bears play, after a 2016 report said the building was woefully out of date.
Instead, after two years of planning and thinking, the city issued a news release saying money would be put into renovating the building, not replacing it, leaving the long-term plan for the facility up in the air.
“I’m recommending that we make some crucial upgrades in the next two years to address longstanding needs,” Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero said in a news release. “We want to provide a good experience for everyone who comes to see music and shows and the Ice Bears. This will keep (Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum) viable without eliminating future possibilities for the facility.”
2016 review
In early 2016, a consultant reported that if the facility doesn’t get rebuilt it would need a major renovation. The report, completed by Conventions, Sports and Leisure International, said the building was “not state-of-the-industry, at all” and “is below industry standard.”
The group’s principal, Bill Krueger, said the three options for the facility included a "Band-aid" choice to renovate both the arena and theater, another plan to replace the coliseum and renovate the theater, or tear both down and rebuild.
Krueger estimated the cost to replace the coliseum at $141 million and $205 million and said a bare-minimum renovation would cost $26 million. Replacing both 55-year-old facilities can run up to $279 million.
Other than paint “here and there” the building hasn’t had any major renovations since he became an owner 17 years ago, Murray said. The renovations, which he jokingly called “lipstick” will be nice to see, he said.
“We play in the oldest building and the smallest building in the (10-team) league and we’re still top three in attendance without all of the bells and whistles that all of these other buildings that we play in in different cities have.
“Yeah, we’re a little disappointed that they’re not going to go forward with a new building, per se, but at the same time we’re also very grateful that the city sees the value of Knoxville Ice Bears to continue to provide a building for us to play in,” Murray said.
Other uses
A month after the study was released Rogero told City Council at a budget retreat that replacing the coliseum with a new arena on the existing property was the best solution. But that line of thinking has since changed.
Rogero spokesman Jesse Mayshark said the city isn’t in a position to fund replacing the Coliseum and doing so would double the city’s debt load which currently sits around $150 million.
“The reality is that given several other things, including a need for a new police and fire headquarters, it isn’t feasible to take on a new $150 million capital project right now.
“We don’t want to tie up the city’s entire debt capacity for the next 30 years and then hand it off to the next mayor,” he said.
The city is expecting to pay for "several million dollars" worth of updates in the proposed renovations, but far less than the $26 million figure proposed in the 2016 review, Mayshark said.
Murray said the Ice Bears are in the entertainment business much like a performer. A new facility would help the city as a whole, not just his team, he said, adding that he hopes the next mayor, given the financial freedom, may mean a new push for a new building.
“He or she may see the vision I see that this is the only place in the entire country where I-40 and I-75 merge and so many great shows are passing through Knoxville and going to other places (like) Nashville, Chattanooga and Charlotte,” he said. “So, if you want to see a great show you might have to travel and spend your money and increase their tax dollars in their cities instead of staying here.”
In the meantime, the Ice Bears will be getting a new ice floor and a new hanging scoreboard with video replay among other things. The building will also receive new air handling units and LED lighting along with improved restrooms. The Auditorium is expected to receive new lighting, seats and carpet among other things.
Proposed Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum improvements:
Coliseum
- Ice Floor;
- Dashers/box seats/ice pit/ice cover/media platform;
- Air Handler Units/Ventilation;
- LED sports lighting;
- Scoreboard;
- LED lighting for seats and halls;
- Ceiling scrape, prime, paint;
- Asbestos survey;
- Exterior seepage;
- Restroom upgrades/replace lines;
- Locker room upgrades and walk-off mats;
- Electrical upgrades
Auditorium
- New stagehouse rigging bridge;
- Fire panel upgrade;
- Replace roof smoke vents;
- Carpet for the house seating aisles;
- Replace seats;
- New stage floor;
- LED house lighting with improved controls;
- Update catwalk;
- Electric orchestra pit lift.
Garages
- Garage cameras;
- Garage A controlled access gate;
- Garage repairs Phase II (Walter P Moore assessment)
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