Sunday, April 30, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.
Officials from Clark County, the city of Las Vegas and the Nevada System of Higher Education announced this past week that they will form a task force to determine if Las Vegas needs a new arena. The current facility that handles many of the major indoor sporting events, UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center, has seen its better days.
The 23-year-old Thomas & Mack Center will host next year's NBA All-Star game, but a fact sheet distributed by county and city officials says that the facility is "old and the amenities are insufficient compared to those offered at more modern venues across the country." While the government officials say that the task force will decide whether a new arena is needed, the fact sheet makes it clear that they already believe one is needed.
If Las Vegas is to land a major-league franchise such as basketball or hockey, the Thomas & Mack Center wouldn't be a viable option as a home. So we are glad to see local officials, working together, take the lead to see where such an arena could be located and, probably most controversial of all, just how it would be paid for.
Even if Las Vegas' population base is not yet large enough today to field an NBA or NHL team, it will be soon, which is all the more reason why it is critical to get to work now to determine the pluses and minuses of a new arena.
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