The Milwaukee Post

10 • Milwaukee County Post • May 25, 2018 MILWAUKEE | OZAUKEE WASHINGTON | WAUKESHA M A R K E T I N F O R M AT I O N AVA I L A B L E MILWAUKEE POST • M MAGAZINE • OZAUKEE NEWS GRAPHIC OZAUKEE COUNTY GUIDE • HARTFORD TIMES PRESS WASHINGTON COUNTY DAILY NEWS • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST WAUKESHA FREEMAN • OCONOMOWOC ENTERPRISE • HOMES PLUS BROOKFIELD & ELM GROVE THIS MONTH • GREATER MILWAUKEE JOBS • LAKE COUNTRY THIS MONTH L E A D I N G T H E W A Y I N C O M M U N I T Y J O U R N A L I S M F O R N E A R L Y 5 0 Y E A R S Did You Know We Are a Part of… By NICHOLAS DETTMANN Conley News Service MILWAUKEE — The paint is drying. Dust is being swept aside. The seats are going in — about 96 per- cent of the planned 17,000- plus. Arguments are heat- ing up as to who will flush the first toilet. The new Milwaukee Bucks arena is nearing completion and team President Peter Feigin is getting antsy. "We're 95 percent of the way there," he said during a media tour May 18 of what will be the home of the Bucks and the Marquette University men's basketball team, as well as a slew of entertainment options. "All our focus is on the finish- ing." "These are the exciting times," he added. "The vision is becoming a reali- ty." Groundbreaking for the $524 million arena, which includes other area redevel- opment, took place June 18, 2016. Feigin said Friday the plan is to start moving staff into the arena offices in July. Then, the hope is to host a public open house sometime in August. "We're going to blow out our opening," he said. The times are exciting for the franchise, fresh off of its third playoff appear- ance in four years. On May 17, the team announced the appointment of Mike Budenholzer as the next head coach. "His history, his record stands for itself," Feigin said of Budenholzer, the NBA's Coach of the Year in the 2014-15 season with the Atlanta Hawks (see related story on page 11). Feigin said Budenholzer saw the arena May 15 and was in awe, which Feigin added has been the typical reaction for first-time view- ers. On the May 18 media tour, about 40 local media members were escorted through the facility by Feigin and members of Mortenson Construction. The tour included stops in the home and visitor locker rooms, the media work area, interview room and dining area, the arena floor, the fan atrium and what will be known as the Mezzanine Club. Feigin said the Bucks' locker room will be one of the largest in the NBA at 35,000 square feet. The reception by the players has been jaw-dropping. When asked what he hopes the players get out of the locker room, Feigin said, "We think it's a pride of ownership, just like when you go to your office and you feel like you're in a great environment. You feel like you've been invested in and the entire organization is behind you. This is all part of the equity to be a part of the Bucks organiza- tion. It's the best of the best." There isn't much of a drop-off for the visitor's locker room. When asked about that, Feigin said there might be a time when a vis- iting player may become a free agent and the Bucks will try to land that player. When a fan attends a Bucks game, Feigin said he wants fans and all visitors to feel "cozy, taken care of and feel like they're in a spe- cial place." And that won't just go for Bucks arena nears finish line Nicholas Dettmann/Conley News Staff The main Milwaukee Bucks pro shop is seen next to the fan atri- um of the new Bucks arena May 18 in Milwaukee. Team president: 'We're 95 percent of the way there' SPORTS See BUCKS on Page 11

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