The city’s present arena opened in 1968.
It appears that there will be funding available to build a state-of-the-art arena in Macon, Georgia. Macon-Bibb County officials approved up to $350 million in bond financing for the proposed venue that could replace the 58-year-old Macon Coliseum. Macon is a city of about 157,000 people and the fourth largest city in Georgia. The coliseum houses the Macon Mayhem, a minor-league hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League. The SPHL has no direct ties to the National Hockey League. The old building is antiquated. Macon officials have no real idea of how much the proposed arena will cost and at this point don’t even have architectural drawings for the facility.
“This arena won’t be just a venue. It will be a destination and major economic engine that creates opportunities, attracts visitors, and keeps our city competitive for years to come,” Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller said in March. Miller’s comments came after he laid out his reasoning to build an arena in 2025. “We have to stay ahead of the game and by game, I mean the competition amongst all the other places in Georgia that people have an opportunity to go to. Savannah has a new arena, Augusta has one, Athens has one, Macon-Bibb County has to stay competitive.” Miller claims that the tourism dollars that will be spent in his area will ”directly benefit citizens through services, better schools, jobs, and lower taxes.” The jobs claim is a bit of a head scratcher. It is well known that minor league sports is not a place that offers jobs with good wages. People working in a minor league arena work with the understanding that the job could be per diem employment. Nor many people are travelling to see Macon Mayhem hockey games. Macon officials want a shovel in the ground by late July.
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