Print edition: 
It's been more than two months since Intrust Bank Arena officially opened. Other than the Sedgwick County Commission debating again today whether to use arena reserve funds to reimburse the county for staff time spent on the project — don't do it, as it would double-cross taxpayers, and the reserve fund will be needed later — what is the status of some arena-related concerns and worries?
The arena is doing great so far on one of the biggest questions: Can it book acts that people want to see? It has had several sellouts and keeps attracting top performers (though it still needs to book more concerts that appeal to young adults).
The arena also has succeeded in two areas that caused endless griping before it opened: parking and traffic.
All in all, parking has gone remarkable smoothly. Though there have been a few hitches and some tweaks are needed, such as possibly adding more handicapped parking spaces, it is not difficult to find a parking space near the arena. In fact, most of the private lots aren't full, even for sold-out events, and the lots west of Broadway are virtually empty (which has alleviated another concern about whether there would be enough parking to handle simultaneous events at the arena and Century II).
Traffic has gone even smoother. "We haven't had any traffic problems yet," Mandy Pankratz, the city's parking and mobility coordinator, told The Eagle editorial board. In fact, a number of people who work downtown have said it took them less time to get home after a concert than it does to drive home after work.
One concern that emerged the month before the arena opened has since faded. The quick sellout of Taylor Swift's April 1 concert prompted complaints about scalping. The Sedgwick County District Attorney's Office and the Attorney General's Office reviewed the issue, and state Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, considered introducing legislation outlawing scalping. But no action was taken because it is difficult to combat scalping and the Swift problem was primarily caused by advance sales, which hasn't been an issue at other concerts.
The biggest beef about the arena has been lack of legroom. Patrons complain about being poked by the knees of people behind them and having to stand up every time someone enters or leaves a row.
Ron Holt, assistant county manager, told the editorial board that the arena's "tread width" of 33 inches is the industry standard (and the same size as the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, where the University of Kansas and Kansas State University will play Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA tournament). Still, it is a tight fit and narrower than the Kansas Coliseum (though the arena seats are wider than the ones at the Coliseum).
The facility is still in a honeymoon period, and not everyone's arena experience will be positive. But thus far, the big worries people had before the arena's opening haven't turned out to be big problems, and the arena is off to a slam-bang start.
