Jan. 13, 2008

The following editorial ran December 11 in the Idaho State Journal. The Journal, after weighing all the issues, endorses the $24 million bond vote on February 5 to save Holt Arena.

Pocatello and Chubbuck taxpayers have the opportunity this February to add another four decades to the life of a facility that's been the heart of the community since the early 1970s.

Most of Southeast Idaho's major events take place in Holt Arena, including the Simplot Games, local high school football games, Idaho State University football games, the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo, monster truck shows, graduations and major rock concerts.

The Chubbuck City Council is expected to vote on hosting a special election for a bond vote to give the aging facility a much-needed overhaul. Pocatello will also soon consider the need for a bond vote and would pick up a bigger share of the Holt project's estimated $20 million price tag. (Note, both bonds were easily set for a vote on February 5)

The bond would require approval of two-thirds of the voters in both cities.

Though ISU owns the facility, it truly is the community's best gathering center. Chubbuck Mayor Steven England correctly noted that anyone who has lived in Pocatello or Chubbuck for any length of time has benefited from Holt Arena's existence.

Holt Arena was the first covered football stadium built on any college campus. The upgrades wouldn't change the aesthetics of Holt much. Rather they would finance major infrastructure improvements required to keep the facility in operation, such as replacing a failing air-handling system, improving the bathrooms and addressing problems with its structural integrity.

Nobody likes to see their property taxes raised. But in this case, it's clear the public would recoup its investment many times over.

The arena's economic impact on the community is considerable.

Consider the Simplot Games, a massive high school track meet hosted at the arena by J.R. Simplot Co. A study commissioned by the company and released in the summer of 2006 concluded the games, which bring an estimated 2,000 athletes and their friends and family members to the community, add roughly $3.3 million each year to the local economy.

Aside from economics, the arena contributes a great deal to the local quality of life. Olympians come to Pocatello to serve as ambassadors for the Simplot Games. Musicians can perform at Holt for large audiences. High school athletes enjoy the thrill of competing in a big-time venue. Pocatello proudly boasts on signs at its entrances about playing host to the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

In exchange for helping the university rehabilitate Holt, the cities would likely be entitled to about 60 days of guaranteed use of the facility annually for community events. The university would probably not charge the cities' rental fees, above the operational costs of hosting a given event.

There's been talk in the past about building a civic center. Instead, it appears the leaders of our community have realized that we already have one. We just need to make sure we don't let it fall apart.

If the arena is improved, our local leaders are confident it would also prime the pumps for a major ISU fundraising effort to build a planned athletic complex called Bengal Village. The complex would include a basketball arena, softball facilities, and a football practice field, among other things. A refurbished Holt Arena, a long-standing community landmark that honors local sports legend Milton W. "Dubby" Holt, would serve as the centerpiece of the complex.

There's no need for Pocatello and Chubbuck to reinvent the wheel and build a civic center. But it's also imperative that we don't neglect and risk losing an asset we already have.