We’ll take a slurpee, and the whole lot
On Friday, the University administration will ask the Board of Higher Education to use eminent domain to acquire the rest of the land on Franklin needed to build the new arena, the 7-Eleven, a dental office and the old Dominoes building, it was reported today.
Melinda Grier, UO general counsel, told The Register-Guard newspaper of Eugene that the university still hopes to reach voluntary agreements with the property owners. But, she added, the university hopes to begin arena construction next year and needs assurance that the properties will be part of the site.
Here’s a blast from the past: “Condemnation is an act of last resort.” I guess the administration is at it’s last resort.
A new storyline is mentioned in the article that may lead to future hullabaloo. The Guard reported that the land will be owned by the University, but it is “considering” forming a private, nonprofit corporation through the UO Foundation to build the arena. You have to believe that this plan is set in motion. This seems logical since it is being built by private donations and the project is headed by an administrator with a two year tenure, allowing him to still head the project after his time as athletic director is over.
I’m sure there will be plenty of protests to the idea that the new arena won’t be owned by the University, especially since it replaces an arena built by the students. It may, however, loosen the future financial burdens of keeping the arena out of the red. Is it time we start considering the privatizing of the Athletic Department in the future?
It’s still up in the air whether the corporation, National Championship Properties, would continue to own and manage the arena after it’s built or turn it over to the UO. Either way, the university will be negotiating unexplored territory.
