 | |
| Former names | Bossier City Arena (2000) CenturyTel Center (2000–2010) |
|---|---|
| Location | 2000 CenturyTel Center Drive Bossier City, Louisiana 71112 |
| Broke ground | March 30, 1999[1] |
| Opened | November 2, 2000[2] |
| Owner | City of Bossier City |
| Operator | SMG |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction cost | $56.5 million |
| Architect | AE Design Group |
| General Contractor | Roy Anderson Corp. |
| Capacity | 14,000 (concerts) 12,440 (hockey) |
| Tenants | |
| Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs (CHL) (2000–2011) Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings (Arena Football League) (2001–2010) | |
The CenturyLink Center[3] (formerly CenturyTel Center and Bossier City Arena) is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose arena, in Bossier City, Louisiana. The naming rights were purchased by the telephone company CenturyLink of Monroe, Louisiana in 2010.
Opened in 2000 during the administration of then Bossier City Mayor George Dement, the center is among several projects financed in part from revenues derived from three casinos in the city.[4]
The center was home to the Bossier–Shreveport Battle Wings AFL team and the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs CHL team.
It hosted the Southland Conference men's basketball tournament in 2001. In 2011, the CenturyLink Center with the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters hosted 1st and 2nd round games for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament including the first two games of eventual champion Texas A&M.
On September 28, 2002, the NHL came to the arena, for a pre-season game, between the Nashville Predators and Atlanta Thrashers.
On January 14, 2007, the CHL All-Star game was played at the arena, for the first time ever, hosted by the Mudbugs.
On October 24th, 2014, CLC held an NBA preseason game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks.
In December 2014, the Bossier City Council once again rejected pay increases for city employees as proposed by Mayor Lo Walker. Columnist Jeffrey D. Sadow attributed the lack of municipal funds for such raises to the recurring high costs associated with the operation of CenturyLink, which cost $1,500 per resident, or $55.6 million, nearly $20 million more than had been anticipated by city officials. Through 2013, the city spent $5 million more to operate the center. Minor league sports teams, unable to survive, abandoned the CenturyLink. In 2013 alone, the city transferred $750,000 into CenturyLink and still ran a deficit of $200,000. Those costs could have funded the pay raises Walker proposed. Sadow proposes that the city sell CenturyLink at a loss so that it not become a permanent white elephant on municipal expenditures.[5]
On October 1st, 2016, CLC will hold another NBA preseason game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks.
References[]
- ↑ "Arena Tops Builder's Resume Bossier City Picks Anderson For Huge Multipurpose Center", April 1, 1999.
- ↑ http://www.mib.org/~lennier/hockey/graph.cgi
- ↑ CenturyLink (22 June 2011). Bossier City Arena Getting a New Name. Press release. Retrieved on 20 November 2011.
- ↑ Amanda Crane, "'Mr. Bossier' turns 91". bossierpress.com. Retrieved on February 6, 2013.
- ↑ Jeffrey D. Sadow (December 22, 2014). Sadow: Bossier City Fiddles While Its Arena Burns Tax Dollars. The Hayride. Retrieved on February 28, 2014.
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