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Blues, city of St. Louis facing lawsuit over arena upgrade

Mark Buckner / National Hockey League / Getty

Improvements to the Scottrade Center, home of the St. Louis Blues, have become the subject of a legal challenge.

A suit filed Friday claims planned publicly funded upgrades to the arena are not constitutional in the state of Missouri, and are in violation of article VI, which states: "In that it permanently grants substantial public money to a for-profit corporation for the purpose of assisting that corporation to make further profits for itself."

Both the Blues and the city of St. Louis have been named in the suit, which was filed on behalf of three plaintiffs, including city alderman Cara Spencer.

The arena upgrades, which began in late June, are backed by $64 million issued in bonds. However, a spokesperson for city comptroller Darlene Green claimed she has no intention of signing an agreement to fund the project.

"The comptroller has not approved the transaction to issue bonds for the renovation of Scottrade Center, as it would incur debt to the city's general fund for nonessential services and negatively impact the city's credit," spokesperson Tyson Pruitt told Mike Faulk of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The comptroller is exploring new methods to finance the arena renovation, according to Pruitt.

The Blues have played out of the Scottrade Center since 1994, which stands as the NHL's fifth-oldest arena. The facility was built for $135 million, and while the city of St. Louis retains ownership of the building, it is operated by the Blues and leaseholder Kiel Center Partners.

Blues ownership, led by local businessman Tom Stillman, claims the suit is "frivolous," according to the Post-Dispatch, and that the city is obligated to sign the finance agreement.

"This lawsuit, spearheaded by one member of the Board of Aldermen in a clear attempt to counter the consensus of her fellow elected officials, is frivolous, disappointing and embarrassing to our city," Kiel Center Partners said in a statement. "It also has the potential to be extremely costly, not only to taxpayers, but to the regional and national reputation of St. Louis."

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