KANSAS CITY, MO (CelebrityAccess) — A pair of Kansas City business executives have offered to finance the demolition of the aged Kemper Arena, with hopes that it will pave the way for a new venue on the site.
According to the Kansas City Business Journal, Cerner Corp. CEO Neal Patterson UMB Financial Corp. CEO Mariner Kemper are willing to come up with the estimated $5 million required for the demolition. In the place of the Kemper, they hope to build a $50 million, 5,000-seat arena, primarily for American Royal events.
“We keep hearing that everyone’s choking on spending $5 million to tear down the building, so this is our last offer to get the positive results for the city,” Mariner Kemper told the Associated Press.
Other proposed plans for the Kemper Arena include real estate developer Foutch Brothers' $22 million plan to rehab the Kemper into a youth and amateur sports facility. – Staff Writers