Remember the movie, "Field of Dreams?"
"If you build it ... he will come."
Talking about a baseball field in the middle of a cornfield.
Well, we have our own version right in Milwaukee.
"We will build it, and they will come."
The only question is, which cornfield will we use?
Of course, I'm talking about a new basketball arena for the Bucks.
You may think I'm jumping to conclusions here, but I don't think I am.
Oh, we are going to hem and haw about it. We'll have sides lining up to take shots at other sides. Why doesn't Kohl build it himself? Those damn players make so much money they should build it. Not one thin tax dime for a new arena.
On and on and on...
But I know this town, and I'd bet my last dollar that we will agree to build it. Maybe it will be a public/private partnership. Maybe it'll be a single owner. Maybe it will be a municipal project. But it will get built and most likely within the next three or four years.
What I'm really interested in is where the new arena will be located.
Because we have plenty of choices.
There is one school of thought that wants to have the new arena built downtown. There is land around the Bradley Center where a new arena could be built. The argument is that a downtown arena helps keep the Downtown vibrant, or at least as vibrant as it currently is.
Talk to bars and restaurants around the Bradley Center and they say the arena is a significant asset to their business. If it moved out of Downtown, I'm sure a number of businesses would suffer.
Additionally, if we use the Bucks' value to our community as the primary argument to build the arena, it would be tough to turn our backs on those businesses that benefit from the arena and move it out of Downtown.
There are at least three other options for a new arena for the basketball team.
One is somewhere near Miller Park. The idea of creating a sports entertainment area is not new and the arena could share parking with the baseball stadium. It would also provide a continued spark of development of the Menomonee Valley.
A second site possibility is somewhere south of the City of Milwaukee. There is lots of land available and you could build an arena that is very easy to get into and out of. Some people actually talk about the northern edge of Racine County as a site for the new arena.
The third non-Downtown site is somewhere in Waukesha County. That is where the big population growth is happening and there are rumors that the county itself might be interested in constructing and owning the building. It would be a big step for Waukesha, but one that it might be willing to take in its quest to become more than a second-rate county in Wisconsin.
So, let's get on with the debate. We need the team. The team needs a new arena to generate more revenue.
The what and the why are givens. The how will shake itself out.
The only question I see is where.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.