Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As the Buffalo Sabres locked down the arena naming rights agreement with KeyBank on Wednesday, the team is soon to focus on a number of needed elements for the future of KeyBank Center.
Perhaps one of the first items on the to-do list for the Sabres is figuring out a new lease agreement with Erie County.
Since joining the organization more than a year ago, Sabres' Chief Operating Officer Pete Guelli says a new lease agreement for the arena was one of the focal points. Right now, he believes the Sabres are in a great place, relative to the lease, and there's a lot of optionality for the team and the county.
"Right now, we could just move forward and it's going to roll over for another five years. Our goal is to make sure this team is here long-term and well-situated," Guelli said. "We think this building is a catalyst for growth in Downtown Buffalo. That's why we're trying to program it as many nights a year as we possibly can."
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In reality, the lease between the Sabres and Erie County with KeyBank Center does not really truly expire unless one side or the other backs out of the lease after a certain date. Guelli says the likely path for the Sabres, at this point, will be for the lease to automatically extend five years come Sept. 30 this year. Or they can continue the extension process on a year-to-year basis.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says more in-depth lease negotiations will be upcoming between the Sabres and the county, as well as potentially others.
"While they really haven't started, we do have conversations, Pete and I are talking a lot about various issues. And while we're not really heavy into any lease negotiations at this point, I feel very confident about the relationship, as well as the team staying here for decades to come," said Poloncarz on Wednesday.
Poloncarz has said in the past that it is the county's long-term goal to get out of the arena business. Erie County is soon to be out of the stadium business in Orchard Park, as 2025 will be their final year partnering with the Buffalo Bills on a lease for Highmark Stadium.
While it may still be many years down the road before Erie County is out of the arena business downtown, Poloncarz has reasons for his the county to discontinues having ownership of the building.
"From everything associated with potential costs of investments, but just as important, and sometimes even more important, is litigation," Poloncarz explained. "The county has been sued multiple times as a result of litigation associated with injuries and falls, things like that at the football stadium, just like we sometimes have with the hockey arena.
"I want to ensure that we keep the team here for a long time, and we're going to do that, I guarantee you that. But we're also going to ensure that it's the best investment that the county can make in the short-term, and the best impact on the county in the long-term."
Poloncarz adds the county will likely wait to get into the nitty-gritty of lease negotiations until the new Highmark Stadium is completed next July, but he fully expects the Sabres and the National Lacrosse League's Buffalo Bandits to remain in Downtown Buffalo for years to come.
Meanwhile, talks of renovations at KeyBank Center continue to be a constant talking point within the Sabres organization.
"Terry and I talked about the future of the arena and what we wanted to do. He's invested every year, last year we put the new scoreboard in, put the new roof on. We've got some things that we're not quite ready to announce today that we've done over the summer as well that are coming up, and now we're also looking at the long-term future of the arena," Guelli said.
Guelli understands that KeyBank Center is one of the oldest arenas in the National Hockey League that has yet to see a major renovation since the building opened in 1996. He feels the arena will absolutely need some work sometime in the coming years.
"We've been doing some discovery and due diligence, looking at the things that work, looking at things that don't work, going other facilities, looking at what the future of this building might look like," Guelli noted. "We've brought Populous in probably about eight months ago, and they've been doing a study on the building as well. And we've been meeting every month, trying to put a plan together. I still characterize it as preliminary in nature, but they're taking a hard look at what the next steps in this facility need to be."
Populous is a company very familiar with the Pegula family, as they were the ones that designed the new Highmark Stadium currently under construction in Orchard Park along Abbott Road. The state-of-the-art football stadium remains on schedule, and is still slated to be opened next summer.
As for Poloncarz, he knows the structure of KeyBank Center is very strong, and is thankful the Sabres have already addressed a number of issues with the arena in recent years, including the installation of a new roof last year
"We don't have to worry about structural issues with the arena. I've talked to our folks from Department of Public Works, it's not like what you sometimes see at the football stadium because of the age of the football stadium and it's an open-air stadium. You'll see cracks in concrete, and we've got to fix spallings and things like that. You don't have that here," Poloncarz said. "It's going to be more issues inside the arena, or the actual bowl, and more visual amenities. But when it comes to actual structure, it's in good shape. So we'll have those conversations, but thankfully, we're not talking about having to blow out concourses and things like that."
Poloncarz adds he's not ready to have any conversation over whether or not the county will contribute to any specific renovations to the arena like they have in the past with Highmark Stadium.
And very much in line with Guelli, Poloncarz understands with a nearly 30-year-old facility like KeyBank Center is, the time for upgrades and renovations to the facility is sooner rather than later.
"Thankfully, we're not talking about building a new hockey arena to keep the team in town. I expect the team to stay here a long time, and there will be some work that will be done. But we'll resolve that all through the negotiations, probably coming in earnest, later this year through, of course, next year. But we've got to get that football stadium done on time," Poloncarz added.