By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
T-Mobile Arena has installed a couple dozen heavy steel posts known as “bollards” to protect arena visitors, guests and workers near the West VIP Entry on the west side of the venue.
These type of protective steel posts have also been installed by Clark County up and down the Strip along the edge of the Las Vegas Boulevard sidewalks to protect pedestrians from people who want to use their cars and vehicles to plow into walkers along the sidewalk. These bollards are designed to stop a 15,000-pound vehicle going 50 mph. The county has installed 800 of the safety posts in late 2018.
LVSportsBiz.com counted at least two dozen metal security bollards on the west side of T-Mobile Arena where VIPs and other guests and VIP fans are dropped off curbside to enter a VIP entrance and other entry points. Limos, buses and shuttles drop arena guests off at this area.
The arena is paying for these metal safety posts thanks to money being collected by the Vegas Golden Knights through a $3 arena improvement fee charged on game tickets that were purchased by VGK one-year season ticket holders, said Kerry Bubolz, the Golden Knights president.
Fans who had bought one-year season deals, instead of three-year or five-year agreements, were charged the $3 fee per ticket per game if they renewed their season ticket deals last season. Eventually, other VGK season ticketholders who have signed up for multiple year season ticket agreements will also pay the $3 per game ticket charge if they renew their ticket deals.
Bubolz had explained that the $3 charge was necessary for capital improvements to a $375 million arena that was privately financed by MGM Resorts International and Anschutz Entertainment and opened in April 2016. Golden Knights owner Bill Foley bought a 15 percent share of the arena, which also hosts UFC fight show events, concerts and PBR bull riding competitions. AEG and MGM Resorts now each own a 42.5 percent share.
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The Golden Knights’ next home game is Saturday when the VGK host the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7 p.m.
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