Plans for a new arena in Owensboro, KY have been scrapped, complicating the status of the relocating Evansville IceMen.
Currently on hiatus, the IceMen had planned to establish themselves in Owensboro for the 2017-2018 season. Down the road, it was possible that the team could set up shop at a new arena planned for a development off of Highway 54.
City officials believe that there are other options for the IceMen in Owensboro, but see the projected $25 million price tag as an obstacle to a new arena. More from Tristatehomepage.com:
“There may be other options for professional sports, for activities, for concert venues, for different forums, or things that maybe we don’t contemplate popular or needed in our community,” says Owensboro City Attorney Ed Ray. “As we gain more momentum with the way Owenbsoro’s growing, that may just add to all the different reasons that we need to build a new arena.”
A new arena just off Highway 54 was one of three options for the IceMen, who originally planned to spend several million dollars expanding, and renovating the Sportscenter.
Ray says the team cannot take over the Sportscenter until they have finalized plans and started work, adding renovating the building is the only option for the IceMen.
The Sportscenter is a 5,000-seat venue that is the home of Kentucky Wesleyan’s basketball programs. Returning to Evansville is not an option for the IceMen, as the Evansville Thunderbolts of the Southern Professional Hockey League have signed a lease for the Ford Center.
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