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<B>By the book</B><P>
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Ah, the beauty of it all.<P>
The thought of having an on-campus venue for the men's basketball team - a corral for the UK campus to rally around, to dispel the cauldron Adolph Rupp dreaded from the outset, which has become as silent as a dungeon - is a good thing.Basketball has more or less put UK on the map and, more importantly, forged a connection between Lexington and the University.
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And while the relocation of this throroughbred town's main attraction to a more student-friendly area would benefit UK every way financially, they must, to use an old sports aphorism, hit it in the numbers.
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Athletic officials should have known that when deciding on the firm to conduct a feasibility study, bids must be accepted from several construction firms before any steps can be taken.
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Then again, they probably did know that.
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Considering the rapport Huber, Hunt and Nichols has with UK from its work on Rupp Arena and Commonwealth Stadium, the selection process would have been simple.
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Now the feasability study has been botched by haste and roughed up on a technicality.
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Maybe they jumped the gun because of the events that have transpired between the two parties.
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UK pays higher rent than other Rupp tenants, meaningless fees and has shelled out more than its fair share of the dough to pay off the $44 million necessary to retire the bonds in 2006. Still, playing by the rules will make the transition, however inevitable it might be, a lot easier on both parties, and no bad feelings will develop between UK and the city.
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Rumors have circulated since Coach Rick Pitino first set foot in the Bluegrass that an on-campus venue has been a prominent desire. Such speculation is supported by the players themselves, especially the words of guard/forward Cameron Mills: "When you talk about the SEC there are two places that just are college basketball. This place (Arkansas) and Florida are just the most amazing college basketball atmospheres there are."
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Why should a project to put UK in that position be ruined by a rush job? <P>
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