Kent's events center wins a sponsor: tech firm Amiga

Kent city officials announced today that Amiga, a New York-based global technology company, would sponsor Kent's proposed $67 million events center, all but ensuring the project would move forward.

If the City Council approves it, the 6,025-seat Amiga Center at Kent would become the new home for the Seattle Thunderbirds junior hockey team and other "family friendly" entertainment, from holiday bazaars to monster truck shows.

City officials said Amiga would pay more than $300,000 a year for the naming rights, but the deal has not yet been finalized. Amiga said it would use the events center as a kind of testing ground for its technology, offering everything from cellphone-based orders of hot dogs to kiosks with its newest games.

In these last days of the legislative session, Kent is also hoping to get about $25 million in state funding for the project. The city would cover the rest of the cost.

The 150,000-square-foot events center would stand in the heart of downtown, within walking distance of Kent Station, one of the city's big attractions. A city-commissioned study said it would generate an estimated $50 million in state sales tax over the next 30 years.

The city has already spent about $3 million in exploratory studies and preliminary design for the events center, which could open as early as fall 2008. If the state funding comes through, council members are expected to approve the project in a May vote.