Published: May 19, 2018
Bucks arena nears finish line
Team president: ‘We’re 95 percent of the way
there’
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
MILWAUKEE — The paint is drying. Dust is being
swept aside. The seats are going in — about 96 percent of the planned
17,000plus. Arguments are heating up as to who will flush the first toilet.
The new Milwaukee Bucks arena is nearing
completion and team President Peter Feigin is getting antsy.
“We’re 95 percent of the way there,” he said during
a media tour Friday of what will be the home of the Bucks and the Marquette
University men’s basketball team, as well as a slew of entertainment options.
“All our focus is on the finishing.”
“These are the exciting times,” he added. “The
vision is becoming a reality.”
Groundbreaking for the arena took place June
18, 2016. Feigin said Friday the plan is to start moving staff into the arena
offices in July. Then, the hope is to host a public open house sometime in
August.
“We’re going to blow out our opening,” he said.
The times are exciting for the franchise, fresh
off of its third playoff appearance in four years.
On Thursday, the team announced the appointment
of Mike Budenholzer as the next head coach.
“His history, his record stands for itself,”
Feigin said of Budenholzer, the NBA’s Coach of the Year in the 2014-15 season
with the Atlanta Hawks. He was 213197 in five seasons with the Hawks, making
the playoffs four times in that span. Before that, he was an assistant with the
San Antonio Spurs for 17 seasons.
Feigin said Budenholzer saw the arena Tuesday
and was in awe, which Feigin added has been the typical reaction for firsttime
viewers. On Friday’s media tour, about 40 local media members were escorted
through the facility by Feigin and members of Mortenson Construction. The tour
included stops in the home and visitor locker rooms, the media work area,
interview room and dining area, the arena floor, the fan atrium and what will
be known as the Mezzanine Club.
Feigin said the Bucks’ locker room will be one
of the largest in the NBA at 35,000 square feet. The reception by the players
has been jaw-dropping.
When asked what he hopes the players get out of
the locker room, Feigin said, “We think it’s a pride of ownership, just like
when you go to your office and you feel like you’re in a great environment. You
feel like you’ve been invested in and the entire organization is behind you.
This is all part of the equity to be a part of the Bucks organization. It’s the
best of the best.”
There isn’t much of a drop-off for the
visitors’
locker room. When asked about that, Feigin said
there might be a time when a visiting player may become a free agent and the
Bucks will try to land that player.
When a fan attends a Bucks game, Feigin said he
wants fans and all visitors to feel “cozy, taken care of and feel like they’re
in a special place.”
And that won’t just go for Bucks fans. One of
the other amenities for the facility will be a steady stream of concerts and
other events. The main fan atrium will have enough space to host weddings,
corporate events, etc.
“I want this to be a destination,” Feigin said.
He believes that will happen.
❑❑❑
Upcoming performances
Feigin said the venue’s design will provide a
highend experience not just for fans, but also for the incoming entertainers,
crediting world-class acoustics.
The first scheduled act is comedian Kevin Hart
on Sept. 13. Typically, the NBA doesn’t open until late October or early
November. The NBA hasn’t released the 2018-19 schedule yet. There are nine
events or concerts planned for the arena before then.
Also scheduled between Sept. 13 and late
October is Maroon 5 (Sept. 16), Justin Timberlake (Sept. 21), comedian Jim
Gaffigan (Sept. 22), the Professional Bull Riders tour (Oct. 5-6), J Balvin
(Oct. 11), Metallica (Oct. 16), Foo Fighters (Oct. 17) and The Eagles (Oct.
18). Fleetwood Mac is scheduled for Oct. 28.
On Nov. 3, Josh Groban will perform with Idina
Menzel. The Harlem Globetrotters will play Dec. 31. Then, in 2019, Elton John
stops in during his farewell tour Feb. 19 and Pink performs May 2.
Feigin said he’s excited for Pink, adding the
Milwaukee date was the fastest selling stop on Pink’s tour.
He added a dozen more acts are waiting in the
wings that will soon be announced. He admitted he’s had to bite his lip in
order to keep it all a secret.
“We are really excited for people to start
navigating the building because we think this will be a very big wow,” Feigin
said.
When asked what it is like to be this close to
the proverbial finish line, Feigin said, “unimaginable.”
“Everyday something changes,” Feigin added.
It’s equally thrilling for the workers on site.
“It’s truly amazing to be a part of this,” said
Jayme Couch, project manager.
Couch has been a part of several other arena and
stadium projects, including the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky,
Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, and SunTrust Park in Atlanta, the
home of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves.
She said the Bucks arena has been one of the
most satisfying jobs in her 10-year career.
“It’s amazing. I love my job. No day is the
same,” Couch said. “There’s always something new.”
One question does still linger: The name of the
arena.
Feigin said he knows what the name of the arena
will be, but wouldn’t disclose it. But an announcement is hoped to be made
soon.
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