Bayfront Center's days might be numbered

A consultant says the arena should be demolished. St. Petersburg council members are not surprised by the report.

ST. PETERSBURG - At its peak, the Bayfront Center arena was promoted as one of the premier venues in central Florida and hosted big names such as Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Buffett and Billy Joel.

That was more than 20 years ago. Today the cylinder-shaped coliseum is in dire need of renovation. The A-list events have been replaced by high school graduations and Jehovah's Witness conventions.

For more than a decade, the city has pumped an annual subsidy of more than $1-million into the aging facility. Now a consultant hired by the city says it is not worth saving, and most City Council members would like to tear it down.

A report released Monday by KPMG shows it would cost more than $10-million to meet the arena's basic needs - such as safety, repairs, maintenance and minor improvements.

The price tag leaps to $19-million if the city wants to compete with other area venues, such as the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, the report says.

Even with extensive improvements, it's unlikely the 8,000-seat arena formally known at the Times Arena at Bayfront would turn a profit.

"In the short term, the city may want to explore the potential cost and timing associated with demolishing the Bayfront Arena, particularly given the increasing operating deficit and the ongoing funds that will be required ... to keep the facility operational," the report said.

The City Council has scheduled a workshop today to discuss the arena's fate.

The report does not address the Mahaffey Theater, which most council members say still has value.

Council chairman Earnest Williams said the majority of his colleagues advocate tearing down Bayfront Arena and using the space for a hotel and convention center.

But the cost, which hasn't yet been calculated, would be a determining factor, he said.

"We know that right now we don't have the dollars to do this," Williams said.

Council member Bill Foster said he also would like to see an expansion of the Mahaffey Theater to make it more competitive with the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa.

"The arena needs to come down," Foster said. "A venue of that age, that size and that style is no longer competitive in the entertainment market."

KPMG consultants agreed. In the 50-page report, they said Bayfront is too old and outdated to realistically compete with other area venues.

In the Tampa Bay area, there are four other arenas with a seating capacity of more than 5,000 people, including the St. Pete Times Forum, Health Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds, the University of South Florida Sun Dome in Tampa and Tropicana Field.

"Those facilities are competing for event activity as well as for patrons' time and disposable income. Renovations of the Bayfront Arena are not likely to change this condition," the report said.

KPMG was hired by the city in January for $39,000 to study the building's viability.

Mike Barber, Bayfront's manager, said the report contained few surprises.

"This basically validates what our position has been," he said.

Mayor Rick Baker said he wants to hear from the public on how to use the valuable waterfront property the arena occupies.

A series of public meetings already has been planned for the future of nearby Albert Whitted Airport. Baker said he'd like to see the focus of those meetings broadened to include the future of the arena.

"There are a lot of options out there for people to consider," he said.

- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

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