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June 24, 2005 | Business Journal
Officials break ground on |
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| Mayor Kay Barnes took a big step toward fulfilling the signature promise of her political career Friday as she joined business and city leaders for an official groundbreaking ceremony near center court of the Sprint Center in Downtown.
"It is the citizens who have made all this possible," Barnes said before thanking Sprint Corp. Chairman Gary Forsee, Anschutz Entertainment Group CEO Tim Leiweke, Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and the Kansas City Council. The $250 million arena, the centerpiece of what Barnes called a "spectacular new district Downtown," is one of many projects changing the city's central business district, City Manager Wayne Cauthen said. "This is just one part of us dressing up our living room," he said. The roughly 350 attendees near 12th Street and Grand Boulevard could see work under way at the H&R Block Inc. world headquarters, the President Hotel and the entertainment district. Voters approved a hotel and rental car tax to help finance arena construction on Aug. 4. Overland Park-based Sprint bought naming rights on July 22 for $62.5 million. Forsee said the company's pending merger with Nextel Communications Inc., which will have its headquarters in Reston, Va., would not diminish the company's enthusiasm for the arena. "I want to assure you that our commitment to Kansas City that has been strong throughout our history will continue to be so," he said. Sprint ranks No. 1 on The Business Journal's list of Kansas City-area public companies. On Jan. 26, the Kansas City Council's Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of a 35-year arena development agreement with Anschutz Kansas City Arena LLC. The company also is monitoring the facility's design, which remains a work in progress. "We are going to build a world-class arena with world-class events, and yes, for those who have their doubts, it will look great on the outside, but it will be even better on the inside," Leiweke said. Kinder said the arena is "destined to become a landmark." On Aug. 11, a committee appointed by Cauthen chose a program management team to oversee construction of the Sprint Center. The winning team included Burns & McDonnell and HNTB Cos., both based in Kansas City, and PC Sports of San Antonio. M.A. Mortenson Co. was chosen on Dec. 10 as construction manager for the arena.
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