Venue News: Pittsburgh Plans to Tear Down Igloo; Developers Think Big in Vegas

The Civic Arena, formerly known as the Mellon Arena yet referred to throughout hockey as simply “The Igloo,” will be torn down. Following the city council’s rejection of a historic designation, the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority will move ahead with plans to tear down the iconic structure. Barring judicial intervention, the destruction of the arena will be underway by September, with the work expected to take 9-12 months and cost $5 million. The Penguins, who own development rights to the area, will be able to move forward with plans for 1,200 units of housing, 600,000 square feet of office space, and 200,000 square feet of commercial space on the 28-acre site. The team played the 2010-11 season in their new home, the CONSOL Energy Arena…

…Despite the recession’s tangible effect on the Las Vegas Valley, developers plan to proceed with a proposed UNLV stadium-arena, student housing, and retail complex. The multibillion-dollar UNLV development would be anchored by a $600 million expandable stadium, which would employ hydraulic tracks to expand horizontally and vertically in order to hold 7,500 to 40,000 seats. Plans also call for 5,000 to 10,000 units of student housing and 600,000 square feet of retail space along Maryland Parkway and Tropicana Avenue.  The project, designed by the architect of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, carries a price tag of at least $2 billion…

…After assessing the water damage caused by two days of heavy rainfall last month, Purdue University determined that Keady Court cannot be repaired and must be replaced for the first time since the late 1990s. The school plans to take advantage of their circumstances, adding the new Big Ten logo a year earlier than originally scheduled. Currently, Mackey Arena is undergoing a $99.5 million renovation, and the new court should be ready when Boilermaker basketball practice begins in October. The rededication of the arena is scheduled for Nov. 11…

…Approximately 100 people were on hand in Ralston, NE, to witness the groundbreaking of the city’s $32 million, 3,500-seat arena. The arena, located on the corner of 72^nd and Q Streets, will feature two Olympic-size skating rinks for its primary tenants, the Omaha Lancers junior hockey team. The surrounding cities will be able to capture 70% of state sales tax from businesses within 600 yards of the sports and entertainment venue, provided the businesses open two years before the venue’s opening. Dirt work at the site is nearing completion and foundations will begin going in next month, while the skeleton of the arena should begin forming in late fall or early winter. The project is expected to be completed in October, 2012…

…With four months to go before the beginning of the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Jakarta, only three sports venues in the Indonesian capital are ready to host competition – the bowling alley, the table tennis venue, and the golf course. The government, planning to allocate up to Rp 70 billion (US $8.12 million) for the event, insists that repair work is on schedule, and that all 24 venues will be ready by August. However, conflicting reports suggest that several venues are behind schedule, including the basketball stadium, archery field, kempo courts, futsal fields, tae kwon do court, and marathon swimming pool. Approximately 6,000 participants from 11 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries are expected to take part in the SEA Games this year, which will be held in Indonesia for the first time since 1997.