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HAF
08-29-2005, 05:42 PM
New scoreboards, vendors among coliseum renovations
This story was published Monday, August 29th, 2005

By Annie Fowler, Herald staff writer

Three Rivers Coliseum is taking on a new look.

From the locker-room showers to the concourse, the 18-year-old building is getting a fresh look, courtesy of Compass and the Tri-City Americans.

"We are in the process of continuing with some renovations to bring the facility back up, which was part of the agreement with the Americans," said Tom Cornwall, executive director of Three Rivers Convention Center. "We (Compass) have agreed on behalf of the city to make the improvements for the fans and for the health and safety of the players."

Compass started their upgrade with the ice, bringing in National Hockey League ice guru Dan Craig to help with the laying of the ice from the very first drop of water.

"Dan and I have a history when we worked with the (Edmonton) Oilers," Cornwall said. "I respect Dan and his professionalism. There isn't anyone better from an ice preparation standpoint to work with our crew and give them pointers. That was the decision to ensure we were starting off on the new foot with a base of ice for this hockey season."

Craig, facility operations manager for the NHL, was in Kennewick last October helping the coliseum staff with the ice. During the past eight years, Craig has worked with the NHL overseeing the quality of the ice surface at each of the 30 rinks.

In addition to a quality ice surface, a refurbished set of rink boards has been installed, and workmen were laying wire Thursday for two new scoreboards.

On the concourse, fans will notice a fresh coat of paint, new food vendors and a permanent team store off the main lobby that will be used by the Americans and the Tri-Cities Fever indoor football team.

"It will be a new experience for the fans when they come to the building," Cornwall said. "It may not be done by the preseason tournament, but it will be done by the home opener (Oct. 7)."

Flip 'N Grill will be one of the new concessions, offering hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken wings and more. Cornwall also said Compass is in negotiations to bring in a vendor that offers deli sandwiches.

Also, the Founders Club has been renamed the Sunset Room, and there are plans to bring back the pregame buffet.

"The intention all along from Compass and the city is to create a pleasant fan experience when they come to Three Rivers Coliseum," Cornwall said. "Not just for hockey, but it was a catalyst."

Under new ownership, the Americans have taken it upon themselves to make improvements to the players' locker room, training room, weight room and coach Don Nachbaur's office.

Last week, the training room and locker room were stripped to the concrete floor and the shower tiles were replaced. When it's finished, there will be new stalls for the players and trainer Kevin Heise will have two new hot/cold tubs in the training room, along with many other improvements.

"We want to make the environment as professional as possible," said Americans general manager Bob Tory. "We want our players to know that we value them, and hopefully that translates to performance on the ice. Olie (Kolzig) and Stu (Barnes) want to provide an environment that is conducive to success. It's an investment that we feel is worth it."

Training camp opens Thursday, with about 75 players expected to attend. The Todd Klassen Memorial Classic will be at 11 a.m. Sept. 5. Veteran players will go through fitness evaluations today and Tuesday.

"This is a fresh start," said Tory, who is co-owner of the team with Kolzig, Barnes and Dennis Loman. "We have our work cut out for us. We have to be focused to compete in a hard U.S. Division. That commitment will have to be established early by the coaches and players. It will be a battle for the playoffs from day one."

HAF
08-29-2005, 08:06 PM
Has anyone seen the new scoreboard yet? Will it have video replay etc?

kaniksu
08-30-2005, 12:26 PM
That's really odd, I read a totally different article on the TCH website this morning:

Scoreboards, video screens to be installed at Three Rivers Coliseum

This story was published Tuesday, August 30th, 2005

By Annie Fowler, Herald staff writer

Three Rivers Coliseum is moving into the 21st century.

In time for the Tri-City Americans home opener on Oct. 7, the coliseum in Kennewick will be sporting two new Fair-Play scoreboards with video screens.

The scoreboards are multi-sport and will accommodate hockey, football, basketball, graduations and concerts.

"It was pretty much a no-brainer to come up with the money to do it," said Kennewick City Manager Bob Hammond. "We felt the coliseum was in need of a better system."

A 6-by-9-foot scoreboard will be at each end of the coliseum, along with a 9-by-11-foot video screen and spots for advertisements.

The cost of the project is $400,000, which is being paid out of capital improvement funds already allocated by the city.

"We will have video screens, but they won't be have replay capability this season," Tom Cornwall, convention center executive director said. "That will come in phase two or three."

The video screens will have graphics capabilities.

At the east end of the coliseum, the scoreboard will be between sections T and V. No seats will be lost, and no views will be obstructed on either end.

The original scoreboard, which hangs from the center of the coliseum ceiling, had its share of problems last season and parts are hard to come by. It will be removed by Able Signs of Portland.

Able Signs also is building and installing the advertising cabinets around the scoreboards and video screens.

"It's a lot of money, but it's worth it," Hammond said. "On the business side, we can recoup the money from advertising. It doesn't seem like it will take many years to make that happen."

The scoreboards are part of many improvements being made by the city and the Tri-City Americans this season at the coliseum.

"We are talking about a building that hasn't had many improvements over the last 15 years or so," Hammond said. "The city council came through, and we wanted to be involved and do what we could to improve the building."

* Annie Fowler can be reached at 582-1574 or via e-mail at afowler@tri-cityherald.com.

Stay-Puft
08-30-2005, 01:07 PM
Tale of two days. The paper must not have had all of the information before the story printed, or they thought that it was worth 2 days coverage.

Beaner
08-30-2005, 01:45 PM
Nice to see the new owners and the City are playing ball with each other. Hopefully everyone down there will see an increase in attendance and the product on the ice as well, and we dont have to talk about the Americans relocating ever again.

kaniksu
08-30-2005, 02:43 PM
Tale of two days. The paper must not have had all of the information before the story printed, or they thought that it was worth 2 days coverage.

A lot of the first story seems like it is the same as a story that printed months ago.

Also, it says the scoreboard will be removed, what will happen to it? There will still be a main scoreboard in the center right??? I sure hope so.... I always wondered why, at the least, they didn't just put video screens inside it to replace the current light bulb screen things.

It is nice to see improvements and better relationships. Let's hope the past is not repeated ever again.

HAF
08-30-2005, 06:27 PM
Yes indeed!!!! It does look as if our barn is gonna finally enter the 21st century as far as technology is concerned. That light bulb thing they had was pretty 1980ish...lol
I think this will be a great addition and will definately help our cause as far as ticket sales go. Now, if we could only have a few banners hanging in the rafters that arent from the Fever we would be set.

Stay-Puft
08-31-2005, 11:36 AM
A lot of the first story seems like it is the same as a story that printed months ago.

Also, it says the scoreboard will be removed, what will happen to it? There will still be a main scoreboard in the center right??? I sure hope so.... I always wondered why, at the least, they didn't just put video screens inside it to replace the current light bulb screen things.

It is nice to see improvements and better relationships. Let's hope the past is not repeated ever again.

I hope they take the old scoreboard and float it down the Columbia. You know it has seen its better days when you lose the clock for a game and the horn is a hand-held-blowhorn-in-a-can that boaters use. I really enjoyed the "5 minute" updates. I personally hope that they do away with the center scoreboard. With the NIFL in there now, they need them at the ends of the stadium. Hopefully they will work on the speaker system next.

I think with the success that the NIFL had this past year, that it really opened some eyes about the need to update our Coliseum technology. Also, with the basketball tournaments, football, and hockey in there, a wider variety will be able to enjoy its benefits. Great move! Now, LET'S DROP THE PUCK! I'M DYIN' HERE!

kaniksu
08-31-2005, 02:46 PM
I hope they take the old scoreboard and float it down the Columbia. You know it has seen its better days when you lose the clock for a game and the horn is a hand-held-blowhorn-in-a-can that boaters use. I really enjoyed the "5 minute" updates. I personally hope that they do away with the center scoreboard. With the NIFL in there now, they need them at the ends of the stadium. Hopefully they will work on the speaker system next.

I think with the success that the NIFL had this past year, that it really opened some eyes about the need to update our Coliseum technology. Also, with the basketball tournaments, football, and hockey in there, a wider variety will be able to enjoy its benefits. Great move! Now, LET'S DROP THE PUCK! I'M DYIN' HERE!

I think the NIFL has been a great boost as well, with all of their success. Now let's hope the Americans can replicate it eventually!