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February 23

Our View: Civic center a good bet, but not a sure thing

Even after renovation the facility will have challenges, but doing nothing would be worse.

Can the Cumberland County Civic Center make a comeback? County voters certainly thought so last year when they supported a $33 million bond issue to rebuild the 35-year-old sports and entertainment venue in the heart of downtown Portland.

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Last year, Cumberland County voters supported a $33 million bond issue to rebuild Portland's 35-year-old civic center.

2002 Press Herald file

But, as a recent series of stories by The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram shows, the election was not the end of the challenges the facility faces.

To begin with, there is competition. Nearby Manchester has been outdrawing concert-goers to its municipally owned facility since it opened in 2001. That may not end with the renovation of the civic center, which would still have fewer seats than Manchester, and would sell fewer tickets for concert promoters.

And the competition will be increased with the completion of a brand new arena in Bangor, paid for with revenue from Hollywood Slots. The Bangor facility won't have more seats than Portland's, but it will be on the same site as Hollywood Slots, which is becoming a full casino with a race track, adding to the draw for some concert-goers.

And there is the question of whether improvements to the back stage and locker room areas will be enough to bring in attractions. Other facilities built outside the tight footprint of a busy downtown are easier for trucks to access and unload than the Cumberland County Civic Center. The renovation is supposed to double the size of the loading dock, doubling the speed at which an act can unload, lowering its costs. But we won't know for sure if that will be enough.

Despite all the unknowns, however, the voters made the right choice. The civic center could not stand still; the choice was between investment and decline.

An aging venue that could not keep its anchor tenant, the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League, or bring in interesting entertainment would have left a dead zone in the heart of Maine's biggest city, creating an economic drag that would have been felt far outside Portland.

The civic center's rebirth may not be a sure thing, but it's a solid bet and the investment is a risk worth taking.

 

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