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The State, Columbia, S.C., C. Grant Jackson Column: Inferno to Get New Arena

Posted on: Thursday, 12 January 2006, 12:00 CST

By C. Grant Jackson, The State, Columbia, S.C.

Jan. 12--The Columbia Inferno and Lexington County officials are set to announce plans today for a new arena for the professional hockey team.

The arena is expected to be built somewhere off Old Dunbar Road and Interstate 26, not too far from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The arena is expected to seat around 6,500.

Lexington County officials have scheduled a 2:30 p.m. economic development news conference. Inferno officials confirmed their involvement.

Inferno general manager Rick Woodard declined further comment. "I'm under a pledge to them (Lexington County) that I can't say a word."

Lexington County Council chairman M. Todd Cullum said the announcement would be significant. "It is a win-win situation for all," he said.

Cullum said the deal -- code-named "Project Ice" -- does not involve a manufacturing facility.

He put the value of the project at about midway between the recent $5 million announcement by Nucor Steel and the last Michelin announcement, which was valued at $80 million, making it around $40 million.

"I really can't say a whole lot," Cullum said.

The deal reportedly has the county contributing the land for the project with the construction financed by the team's owners.

Old Dunbar Road is slated to receive considerable highway improvements as part of Phase II of the John Hardy Expressway. That will include a new ramp at I-26 just above where Old Dunbar crosses the interstate, possibly providing greater access to an arena.

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble was reluctant to confirm anything about the new arena, but said he supports the Inferno's move as good for the team and region.

"I think the most important thing is that it is a great step forward for regional cooperation. Not everything has to be in downtown Columbia," Coble said.

Professional sports teams are going to have to be privately funded by the ownership, the mayor said.

The Inferno have been playing in the Carolina Coliseum since the 2001 inaugural season. The team and the city of Columbia worked to negotiate a three-year agreement with the University of South Carolina to use the Coliseum. That agreement was extended for one year. The team has asked for another yearlong extension.

USC vice president Rick Kelly said the university intends to honor its commitments and to support the hockey team.

The Carolina Coliseum property eventually will become part of the USC research campus. The arena, built in 1968, is expected to be torn down.

The Inferno had hoped to play its games in the new Colonial Center. That move was nixed because tax-exempt bonds were used to finance the new arena, which means the facility cannot house a professional team.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The State, Columbia, S.C.

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Source: The State (Columbia, S.C.)

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