Centennial Authority Votes to Hold Payments on Arena Seats, Floor

RALEIGH — The authority overseeing Raleigh's new arena says it will not pay for seats that are not the right color.

The Centennial Authority voted Tuesday to withhold $600,000, which is what it would cost to replace seat cushions that are not true Wolfpack red. The authority also says it will not pay for an ice floor that may not be level.

"I think this Authority needs to take a stand that this is not what we asked for," says Roy Rouse of the Centennial Authority. "It's wrong, and we expect them to be replaced, and we are not going to release any money until they are."

The Authority did take a stand. The Carolina Hurricanes ordered the streets, but the Authority will withhold the payment until the cushions are replaced.

N.C. State signed a contract guaranteeing the seats would be Wolfpack red. The university says they do not know exactly who to blame.

"We really don't know. We are trying to evaluate everything and get all the facts, and then we are going to set up a process to try and resolve that," says David Horing, associate athletic director for N.C. State.

While some are seeing red over the seats, others are melting down over ice. The complete arena floor is not level enough to meet exacting standards set down in the construction contract. They will hold back between $1 million to $2 million in payments on the floor.

"We are going to hold enough money to replace the ice floor system if it does not make for an NHL quality ice floor," says Curt Williams, executive director of the Arena Authority.

It could take several months and several Hurricanes games to determine if the ice floor needs to be replaced.