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State lawmakers look to help bring Sonics back

The Senate Commerce, Labor and Sports Committee met today to look for ways the state can help bring Sonics basketball back to Seattle.

No decisions were made during today’s meeting, but it is a signal that interest may be growing among state lawmakers.

This comes a day after representatives of two private groups toured Key Arena. They are preparing to offer the city their proposals for renovating or rebuilding the arena for NHL Hockey and NBA Basketball.

“It is not just a Seattle issue,” said the committee chair, Republican Senator Michael Baumgartner of Spokane. “Even though I grew up in Pullman and Spokane, I remember ‘The Glove’ and Shawn Kemp just as much as a kid growing up in downtown Seattle did, so it does have statewide significance.

Sen. Baumgartner notes that both Safeco and Century Link fields were built using nearly a billion dollars of public money. But when basketball asked lawmakers for help in 2007, there was nothing.

“It wasn't aimed at basketball per se, it was just stadium fatigue kind of no more stadiums no more public dollars for stadiums,” said Democratic Senator Karen Kaiser of Des Moines

Now taxpayers could be asked to contribute again.

“I think there are some things we could potentially do in terms of process of permitting, maybe forgoing some tax potentially because if the project doesn't get built there is no tax revenue to collect. And think of how quickly the Legislature acted when we wanted to do something to keep the Boeing plant here,” Baumgartner said.

Developer Chris Hansen is now offering 100 percent private financing, to build an arena on land he owns next to Safeco field. But the Port of Seattle and maritime unions remain opposed to further encroachment on industrial land.

Baumgartner promises future meetings to explore the topic further.