Who Will Pay For KeyBank Centers Huge Renovation Bill?

If you've paid attention to any of the construction that's been happening around Western New York, then you know that there have been cranes in the sky for months all over the region. This is especially true if you've been down Abbott Road in Orchard Park.

The Buffalo Bills organization has been hard at work building a brand new football stadium for the hometown team. The more than $2 billion construction project is set to give Western New York one of the most technologically advanced stadiums in the nation.

This is great news for Bills fans, as the more than 50-year-old current stadium the team uses is really starting to show its age. Unless you've missed it, there is another sports stadium in Western New York that is also showing its age, and it seems the renovation bill to bring things into the 2000s is a pretty big number.

Buffalo's KeyBank Center Needs $400 Million In Renovations

More than 30 years ago, construction started on a brand new hockey arena for the Buffalo Sabres, and after around two years of work, the then Crossroads Arena opened to great fanfare along the foot of Main Street in the area of Buffalo that would become known as Canalside.

After years inside the aging Buffalo War Memorial Arena, hockey and basketball fans were amazed at how big and spacious the $127 million arena was when compared to the pre-World War II facility.

However, after 29 years of faithful service to Buffalo, the KeyBank Center (the arena's current name) is in need of some serious renovations. According to a report from WGRZ-TV, those renovations will be at least $400 million.

With such a huge price tag, there are discussions floating all around the region about who should foot the bill.

The responsibility tree for the KeyBank Center is a bit confusing for some: the land and site are owned by the City of Buffalo, it's been operated and maintained by Erie County, and it's been leased to the Buffalo Sabres organization since 1996.

With so many hands in the pot, it's sure going to take a group effort to make sure the Arena gets the attention it deserves.

Who do you think should pay for the renovations?