(LBF) -- The Louisville Arena Authority will replace the KFC Yum Center's stage for the first time since the downtown Louisville arena opened in 2010.
The stage replacement headlines a series of new capital improvements approved by the arena authority on Monday morning, and a request for proposals already has been issued for the new stage.
Yum Center General Manager Eric Granger said the shelf life for an arena stage is typically about 10 years but is impacted by usage. He said the stage is used during concerts, graduations and other special events at the arena. While some artists bring their own stage setup as part of their concert package, Granger estimated that at least half of concert performers will use the Yum Center's stage for their shows.
The arena authority approved up to $335,000 in new capital expenditures for the Yum Center, much of which will be used to upgrade technology and equipment, including a Nexus Core Router — a key cog in the arena's information technology system — and new radio repeaters, audio visual equipment and network batteries. The stage is the largest line item expense at an estimated $160,000 while the Nexus Core Router is estimated at about $111,000. Every other expense is $25,000 or less.
