Did I Miss Something?

Sure, I've stopped having the Tulsa World delivered to my home, but I would've thought I'd have heard something as big as this. Afterall, I am a city councilor and I've been watching the arena and civic center projects pretty closely.

Compare the following excerpt from today's Tulsa World and note the figures in bold:

Building new arena's glass wall to endure wind to cost millions
By P.J. LASSEK AND SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writers 10/14/2005

Constructing the new arena's iconic glass wall to withstand dangerous wind speeds will add $3 million to its projected cost, officials said Thursday.

Although the additional costs can be covered by the 5 percent contingency funds built into the budget for the Vision 2025 project, Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune is being asked to consider drawing $3 million from the Maxwell Convention Center expansion project.

In 2003, voters approved $183 million to construct the arena and make improvements to the convention center. Cost estimates were $141 million for an 18,000-seat arena and $42 million to add at least 10,000 square feet of space and a ballroom to the convention center.

Then take a look at another Tulsa World excerpt from August 17, 2003. Compare the figures in bold to the figures in the previous story:

Proponents see the arena combination as a boon to the area economy.
P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer08/17/2003Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page A21 of News, Vision2025

When Tulsa's Convention Center opened in 1964, it was a shining example of a modern-day events facility.
Now, nearly 40 years later, it stands as an example of a convention center that needs to be modernized and paired with a quality events arena, officials say.

Among the nine items funded in Proposition 3 is $183 million for a new arena and renovations to the existing Convention Center. The city would spend $125 million for an 18,000-seat arena and $58 million to modernize the Convention Center.

Opponents say the Convention Center and arena are facilities that will drain the city's general fund. The city currently subsidizes the Convention Center with $2 million annually from a hotel-motel tax and the general fund.

For those of you that aren't too good with the math, that's a $16 Million swing that to my knowledge, was never reported to either the council or the public. What happened in the last two years? Did I miss something?