I write in response to the assertions made about alleged mismanagement of Angel of The Winds Arena in the recent article about business impacts resulting from a proposed downtown Everett stadium (“20 businesses could be demolished for downtown Everett stadium,” The Herald, Feb. 28). As the President of the Everett Public Facilities District Board of Directors, the independent government entity with ownership and oversight of the Everett Events Center including Angel of The Winds Arena, allow this letter to highlight the current state of the Everett PFD.
While the facility enters its 21st year, the facility is financially stable, with its revenues not only covering costs (including debt) but also providing the ability to reinvest into the facility by way of improvements and upgrades. Since weathering the pandemic (without federal government assistance), over $2 million annually has been spent on these improvements, allowing the facility to continue to serve our community for years to come.
A study commissioned by the City of Everett in 2023 showed that in 2019, Angel of The Winds Arena was responsible for $74.3 million in economic impact to Snohomish County. The one-year impact is greater than the cost of the building’s construction!
Location-based data shows that over 886,000 visits were made to the property over the last year, bringing local and out-of-town visitors to downtown Everett to utilize the facilities and in many cases, to frequent other local restaurants and businesses too. Just this past January, we had 134,000 visits, including attendance to the Everett Community Ice Rink, Everett Silvertips games, and several concerts and other events including two sold-out Nate Bargatze concerts that had the highest single-day ticket sales in the venue’s history! 2023 was the top event year for the arena in its history and 2024 is off to an amazing start.
The Everett PFD Board dutifully oversees this great community asset, and I appreciate the opportunity to correct the record.
Scott Murphy
Everett
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