Public gets detailed look at arena plans tonight

FROM THE MORNING CALL

After months of reading and hearing about the city's plans to build a more than $100 million hockey arena downtown, people get a first chance tonight to examine the plans for themselves.

The first of three meetings in which Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski and developers will explain their plans to build a hockey arena at Seventh and Hamilton Street is tonight, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Allentown Central High School.

That meeting will be followed by a second meeting, from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at Scottish Rite Cathedral's Moulson Room at 1533 Hamilton St., and a final public meeting from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Dieruff High School cafeteria on N. Irving Street.

Mike Moore, city spokesman, said people will get an opportunity to question the mayor and master planners, Hammes Company, face-to-face, about how they plan to develop downtown Allentown in the coming years.


The first public glimpse comes after months of action by the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority. As the city was arranging to move 34 property owners out of their homes and businesses on the arena block, ACIDA was lining up a $175 million in potential financing for the arena and accompanying concert and convention venue that would be built in a second phase of the project.

Demolition on the properties that will be replaced by the glass and steel arena is expected to begin before the end of the year. The arena is tentatively scheduled to open in for the 2013 hockey season. The arena is slated to be home to the Phantoms, the minor league affiliate to the Philadelphia Flyers.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-arena-public-meeting-20111129,0,7125006.story