MILWAUKEE (AP) - The operators of the Milwaukee Bucks arena have notified Wisconsin officials that about 650 jobs will be eliminated this summer when the venue closes.
Operators filed the notice Thursday to the Department of Workforce Development, the Milwaukee Journal Star reported .
The BMO Harris Bradley Center will be closed in anticipation of a new arena for the team, the notice said. Forty-five full-time and more than 600 part-time positions will be eliminated with the closure.
Most of the center’s final public events were held last month. Closing operations will begin Aug. 10 and are expected to be completed by Sept. 7.
“A few employees will remain to complete the actions necessary for the building closing and transfer of property to the Wisconsin Center District by Aug. 31, 2018,” the notice said.
The new $524 million arena will support about 620 jobs once it’s operational.
The Bucks recently held a hiring fair for current part-time employees at the center. About 200 people attended, said Kelly Kauffman, the Bucks senior vice president of human resources.
“We’ve already hired about 120 people,” Kauffman said.
Bradley Center CEO Steve Costello said he estimates that 14 of the 50 front office and administrative staffers from the center will find jobs at the new arena. He said that number is fewer than anticipated.
The first announced event at the new facility is a Sept. 13 show by comic Kevin Hart, though other events before that date are expected to be announced.
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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com
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