According to a recent report in the Triangle Business Journal, the RBC Center will be the recipient of about $2 million dollars in upgrades over the summer. The following improvements are scheduled to be completed before hockey (and basketball) seasons start this fall.
- Replacement of 12,000 seats (all seats except for the third level)
- Replacement of the phone system
- Remodeling some Centennial Authority offices
- Adding black, drop down curtain to close off top part of arena
They will also be looking to add an antenna somewhere in the building so that cellphone reception might be improved. Apparently, they received several complaints from patrons unable to make cellphone calls or texts while attending events.
Dave Olsen was quoted in the article as saying that the curtain will help attract concerts and other shows that typically play in smaller venues.
The Centennial Authority is also hiring a firm to conduct a study to figure out what other upgrades will be needed in the future. It's estimated that the arena will need tens of millions of dollars in further improvements over the next couple of decades.
Note:
It will be interesting to see the color of the new seats in contrast to the older ones. When the arena first opened, some members of the Wolfpack Club were not happy with the current deep red, (maroonish) tint of the seats. They wanted a brighter red color. Although if they change the color now, the lower levels won't match the upper level.
We will see.