COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Pro hockey returned to Nationwide Arena Tuesday night for the first time since the dramatic battle for the gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The overtime thriller between Canada and the United States captivated sports fans from both countries. Can local leaders take advantage of that momentum and keep the Columbus Blue Jackets in town?
"We need them to stay. Now's the time to jump on it and figure this out," fan Andy Hilty said. Hilty brought his son A.J. to the Jackets' game against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night.
"It needs to stay here. Columbus needs this draw," Mary Beard of Circleville said.
A recent Columbus Chamber of Commerce report concluded the Blue Jackets will continue to lose $12 million per year unless the team's lease for Nationwide Arena is reconstructed.
Most people recognize the team's importance in the development of the Arena District -- creating thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue that support the rest of the city.
If the team were to leave town, the void would be enormous.
Yet, hockey fans and nonfans still are waiting for a solution to the problem four months after the financial woes were acknowledged publicly.
Dan Williamson told NBC 4 the issue is "extremely complicated," adding that "the timing would be great, but ... it makes more sense to get it right than to get it (done) fast."
Williamson is a spokesperson for Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman.
The city of Columbus and the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (FCCFA) agreed to a contract Dec. 1, 2009, with local attorney John Rosenberger to help the parties propose a solution.
Rosenberger's contract pays him $250 an hour at a maximum of $38,000 from the FCCFA, with the city agreeing to divide his bills equally.
Three months after that contract was signed, no solution has been proposed, and Williamson said right now there is not a timetable for a proposal.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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