For a second time, the proposed Duluth Entertainment Convention Center arena failed to obtain funding in the Minnesota Legislature.
Without question, the Twin Ports needs a larger entertainment venue. Numerous acts bypass this market because the circa-1963 Duluth Arena offers too few seats to pay their ticket. In fact, it would be preferable to build a larger arena than the one that's planned, which would offer 8,200 concert seats. The planning seems shortsighted. Perhaps four decades of stagnation has finally convinced Duluthians their sorry economic fate is perpetual.
The funding defeat, however, shouldn't be considered permanent. The Minnesota legislative session that concluded Monday night wasn't a bonding session. That comes next year. The DECC had been inserted into Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's "emergency" bond, which started out small but expanded like a balloon when Minnesota's DFL got wind of it. Their lack of fiscal restraint wrecked the party. In true conservative form, Pawlenty responded with a veto, essentially raining on his own parade so he could douse his opponent's reckless fire. In 2008, however, it's likely the measure will resurface, albeit at a higher price that reflects inflation.
Eventually, Duluth-Superior might again see artists with the stature of CCR, Foghorn, the Guess Who or Ted Nugent, which all played the arena in their heyday.
