Columnist Steve Carp: LVCVA gets Pat on back for assistance

Steve Carp

Thursday, Jan. 29, 1998 | 7:39 a.m.

YOU COULD TELL something was up at Tuesday's Rebel Athletic Club luncheon when basketball coach Bill Bayno was replaced by a projection screen.

What appeared on the screen was more of an eye-opener than Bayno's decision to bench leading scorer Tyrone Nesby. The presentation was a sneak preview into UNLV's athletic future and a sample of what can happen when people decide to work in unison instead of for selfish motives.

The news that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority had agreed to put up $5 million toward capital improvements at the Thomas & Mack Center and Sam Boyd Stadium was a breakthrough on a couple of fronts. More important than the LVCVA realizing it can benefit from this investment -- and the idea that Las Vegas doesn't need a new stadium but a face lift for its existing one -- is the fact that by working with the university and Thomas & Mack officials, it truly benefits our community.

Eventually, there'll be a football stadium we all can be proud of as well as maintaining the T&M as a first-class building.

Pat Christenson, the Mack's director, has seen too many arenas fall into disrepair due to neglect or mismanagement. He wasn't going to let that happen to his building. He understands the arena business and how important it is for a community to have a modern, functional building that serves the public's needs.

True, there is an underlying theme to all of this, that being the National Finals Rodeo, the one event that can galvanize the movers and shakers in this town.

The Thomas & Mack needed to upgrade the building and find additional revenue to keep the cowboys happy and in Las Vegas. The LVCVA, whose primary function is to fill this city's hotel rooms, can't afford to lose the NFR and the millions of dollars it generates in our casinos and restaurants.

The NFR still has to sign a contract extension and Las Vegas Events is looking at locking up a long-term deal. The cowboys have done very well here and they'll do better when they sign on the dotted line.

And the Las Vegas sports fan and entertainment buff ultimately will benefit from the new arrangement.

When you take your kids to Disney On Ice, you'll be more comfortable in padded seats. When you go out to the Supercross at the stadium, you'll have better parking, better concessions and improved restrooms.

UNLV basketball fans will have a new scoreboard with state-of-the-art video capacities. Same for Rebel football fans. Jeff Horton may even get that grass field he covets.

It all becomes reality within the next two years.

It means the WAC championship football game likely stays here and the Las Vegas Bowl can grow.

Christenson couldn't have done it without LVCVA president Manny Cortez, his staff and the LVCVA board. They too, deserve a big hand for their willingness to invest in Las Vegas' sporting future.

It's refreshing to see people working together. It shows that teamwork and chemistry don't just win basketball games. It makes communities better.