Panel Looks At Rupp Renovation

Louisville, Ky., has a brand-spanking new arena in the KFC Yum! Center but Lexington may someday have one too – in the form of a rebuilt Rupp Arena.

The day after Kentucky clinched a Final Four berth at the NCAA college men’s basketball tournament, Lexington Mayor Jim Gray appointed a 40-plus-member task force to study the future of the longtime home of the Wildcats.

The task force expects to present its findings next year.

“Building new is easy to get your arms around, even though it’s a big project,” Gray said. “It’s a tougher challenge to examine an existing facility. Lots of questions associated with that, and yet there are opportunities in that as well.”

Aging Rupp Arena remains one of the top college basketball venues but lacks revenue-generating luxury boxes. The Wildcats are college basketball’s all-time winningest program.