MU PLANS RENOVATION IF BID FOR ARENA FAILS

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The University of Missouri will pursue a renovation of the Hearnes Center if efforts in the Legislature to replace the 29-year-old sports facility fail, the university's athletic director said this week.

However, for the moment the university is continuing a full-court press to win support for a $75 million new arena to be funded in part by Missouri taxpayers.

"Our hope is the state will move this forward," said Missouri athletic director Mike Alden. "If not, we will step back and re-evaluate."

An anonymous private donor has pledged $25 million for a new, 16,000-seat arena to be built just south of the Hearnes Center on the university's campus. Legislation that last week cleared a House committee would authorize the state to sell bonds to finance construction and commit $35 million in public money to the project. The university would seek additional private donations to cover remaining costs.

With the focus on a new arena, the fallback plan of giving the 13,400-seat Hearnes Center a makeover hasn't been widely discussed, except among university officials.

"It's interesting that I haven't been asked, But what if the new arena doesn't happen?'" Alden said.

Among those few with whom Alden has discussed the alternatives is the Hearnes Center's namesake, former Missouri Gov. Warren Hearnes of Charleston, Mo. Hearnes, who was instrumental in getting the current home of the Tigers athletic program built in 1972, has questioned whether a new arena is a good deal for taxpayers.

In addition to doing a full renovation of the Hearnes Center, the backup plan also includes constructing new practice facilities. While that option would be less costly than building a new arena, Alden couldn't offer a reliable cost estimate.

"To pinpoint what that number is, I would only be speculating," Alden said.

Either way, taxpayers would be asked to contribute. While the university would pursue private donations for the Hearnes Center improvements, Alden said the anonymous $25 million pledge is on the table only for a new arena and that the donor is "not open for negotiation" on shifting that money to another use.

Alden said there is "no way" the athletic program can continue to operate with its existing facilities and still be competitive with other Big 12 Conference schools in five years.

"We are busting at the seams right now with what we are trying to do," Alden said.

If lawmakers don't sign off on a new arena by the time the legislative session ends May 18, Alden said the university will shift efforts to renovating what it has.

As a public institution, Alden said the university will need state financial help with whatever it does. However, the university's current proposal could be the victim of bad timing.

Several for-profit entities around the state, most notably the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, are also seeking taxpayer subsidies for new stadiums or improvements at existing ones. Those efforts have prompted some opposition among lawmakers to funding sports facilities, particularly in a year when many, including Gov. Bob Holden, are calling for budget restraint.