The following excerpt was part of an article written by Bill Reynolds
which appeared in yesterday's edition of The Providence Journal:
 
Let's see if I get this right.
 
The Civic Center is supposed to add roughly 4,000 seats or else we won'
get the Frozen Four again.
 
Is that about it?
 
Well, so long Frozen Four, because the last thing the Civic Center needs
is 4,000 more seats.  Because the last time I checked there seemed to be
too many seats now.  Too many for PC basketball, which only sold out
once last season.  Too many for URI basketball, which can't come close
to selling out for anyone other than the Friars. Too many for the
Providence Bruins, which is the best draw in the American Hockey League,
but is not going to sell out the Civic Center.
 
More seats?  Seems to me these three tenants need fewer seats.
 
And yes, the Frozen Four is a great event to have here in Providence,
and in a perfect world it would come back again and again.  Yes, it's
good for the city.  But at the expense of adding 4,000 more seats to a
building to try and lure an event that, even in the best of times, might
come here once every five years?  The expense of adding 4,000 seats to a
building that can't routinely sell out the seats it has?
 
Please.
 
We would all be better served if the Civic Center was merely cleaned up,
and made more amenable for customers.  In other words, let's try to make
what we have more palatable before we start thinking about adding 4,000
seats.  Moving rivers is one thing.  Raising roofs is another.
 
Bill Corrigan
 
LET'S GO BRUNO!
 
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