Sports
Westplex Hockey Fans May Soon Have An Arena For Their Favorite Sport
By Bob Hudson
Jun 24, 2009 - 4:19:52 PM

If you love hockey, you will be pleased to learn that O’Fallon officials have expressed interest in a $35 Million, 4000-seat arena that could be the home of the St Louis Bandits, a junior hockey team. If such an arena is built, it might lure the Bandits from the Hardee’s Iceplex in Chesterfield. The new venue would nearly double the attendance at the Iceplex, and in professional sports, it’s all about getting butts in the seats. The Bandits are a Junior A team in the North American Hockey League.

A Bandit representative pitched the idea for an arena to O’Fallon’s City Council at their Tuesday meeting. Planners estimate it will take six months for the city to approve the project and 18 months to build. The project could include a hotel, restaurants and a family entertainment venue, and funds would come from a new "community improvement district" that would pay for long-term bonds.