Bucks owner Herb Kohl and general manager John Hammond talk to reporters Friday at the Bucks' St. Francis practice facility. Credit: Mark Hoffman

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St. Francis - U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, said Friday that the time is now to find a way to finance and build a new multipurpose arena to replace the Bradley Center.

And for the first time, he said he was willing to make a personal financial commitment toward a new facility, an amount he noted would not be insignificant.

"We're no longer talking about in terms of some point in the future," Kohl said at the team's Cousins Center practice facility. "We're talking about plans to get it done.

"The time to start is now."

Kohl's statement was called a "positive development" by Marc Marotta, chairman of the Bradley Center board of directors, and "big news" by Timothy Sheehy, the head of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.

Sheehy's group has been working behind the scenes to entice local corporations to commit to significant sponsorships to help the Bradley Center remain viable over the next few years. Sheehy and Marotta hope to announce those business commitments soon.

"This is another significant brick on the path to a new facility," Sheehy said of Kohl's statements. He said Kohl's interest in jump-starting the planning process, the drive to engage business support for the Bradley Center over the next few years and the senator's own financial commitment help set up "a transparent, healthy dialogue on how we put the pieces together."

Kohl said the franchise was working on plans for a new facility to replace the aging Bradley Center, though he added that no site is under discussion. "We are actively working on it, and we'll get it in high gear, I hope soon, on trying to accomplish our goal," he said.

Kohl, the Bucks' owner since 1985, said he could not speculate on the method of financing an arena to replace the Bradley Center, opened in 1988 and now considered one of the oldest facilities in the National Basketball Association. But he said it probably would be a combination of public and private funds.

He conceded it would not be easy to develop a plan, especially in turbulent political times in Wisconsin, but pledged his support to make it happen. Kohl is retiring from the U.S. Senate this year after serving four terms and said he planned to spend more time with the Bucks.

"There is a need to get going on it and get it done," he said.

Kohl known for donations

Kohl, 77, has a history of significant donations to charities and other causes. He donated $25 million to his alma mater to help build the Kohl Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"I would just point out - without trying to draw attention to myself - that the facility (Kohl Center) that got built for basketball and other purposes on the campus at the University of Wisconsin was very important," Kohl said. "It was a good thing. It had many positive ramifications. This is not exactly the same thing, but it's just an example of how a facility well-done in a timely manner can have positive ramifications for the community, and in that case for the university and the entire Madison area."

Kohl said he would not speculate on the political dimensions of finding financing and getting approval for a new arena. He said he had not spoken with any political leaders but noted other communities had been able to find ways to finance and build a new facility.

He specifically cited the experience in Green Bay, where the Green Bay Packers were able to convince community leaders of the need to expand Lambeau Field. The $295 million project, funded in part by a sales tax in Brown County, was completed in 2003.

"I believe we will have a shot at getting it done," he said. "The maximum effort will be put forth not just by the Bucks, but by the business sector and the public sector."

Jodie Tabak, Mayor Tom Barrett's spokeswoman, said that given the mayor's "close and personal relationship with Kohl, I'm sure there will be a discussion in the near future. The senator is aware of the mayor's position to date: If there is to be a new arena, the private sector and the business community need to step up. City taxpayers can't do this alone."

A spokesman for Gov. Scott Walker declined to comment.

NBA glad Bucks want to stay

Kohl said NBA Commissioner David Stern and other league officials were happy Milwaukee wants to keep the Bucks in town.

"The league is cooperating with us," Kohl said. "They are happy to see that we want to make the effort. They support that. They (wanted) to see us get it done. And I think that's good and sufficient. They don't oppose our desire and wish to make the effort to stay in Milwaukee."

Kohl said people understood there was a limited life span for the building. And he said people understood that the ability of the Bradley Center to generate new revenue for its tenants, including the Bucks, was limited.

"Does the league know that? Yes, they understand that," Kohl said.

"And they probably would say, if they were sitting here, that without a new facility, Milwaukee's chances of remaining a part of the NBA are not robust."

Asked about his ownership of the team, Kohl said that like other owners of professional sports teams, he is approached "several times a year" by people who might be interested in buying in or taking it over.

"Our franchise is no different than any other in that respect. I've had inquiries from several people over the years who would be interested in buying a part or all of the team. But that's not unusual in the sports business," he said.

Kohl specifically mentioned 2003, when he and basketball superstar Michael Jordan discussed the sale of the Bucks.

The Bradley Center does not receive ongoing public support, although it received a $5 million grant from the state for maintenance. It was built by the late Jane Bradley Pettit in memory of her father, Harry Lynde Bradley, co-founder and chairman of the Allen-Bradley Co., now called Rockwell Automation.

Kohl said that while the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce was working to persuade local corporations to make sponsorship commitments to keep the Bradley Center viable over the next few years, the Bucks would look to sign a short-term lease with the Bradley Center. The Bucks played the lockout-shortened season without a lease.

Marotta said he was pleased to hear Kohl's comments.

"Our first priority is to solidify the Bradley Center today so that discussion we need to have on a new arena is a meaningful discussion," he said. "It's important that we build this bridge from now to five or six years from now."