How Would You Spend $75 Million?

Seattlest is still digesting the unsavory news of the loss of our beloved basketball team, the Supersonics.

But rather than dwell on the downside, we are trying to keep our chin up and look for some positives. After all, it's not every day that we wake up to find $75 million in the front pocket of our well-worn jeans.

We've been wondering all week about how the city might spend that big ol' chunk of money. Ostensibly, the settlement check is earmarked for "improvements" at Key Arena. But we've known all along that the main problem is NOT the arena itself, but instead the city control of the parking and concession revenues, which all sports franchises covet. Until those issues are solved, we'll be re-upholstering the seats at Key Arena every decade forever.

Seattlest asked a few friends about how the city should spend the settlement money. Many of the ideas were really heart-warming, like affordable housing, arts projects, more transit, and a living wage for bloggers.

Other suggestions were a bit more creative. Here's just a sampling of how your fellow citizens would spend that $75 million:

Fund 20 more Viaduct replacement studies.

Fund a study of the Seattle "study process".

Sign Thierry Henry to the new MLS team.

Build a simple, functional downtown library that mainly lends books, and finish converting the existing building into an internet/video cafe & homeless shelter and hygiene station.

....and then torch both of them for the insurance money.

Turn Key Arena into a water park. Or an alligator pit. Or both. ("Howard's House of Horrors and Happiness"?)

Erect giant glass bubbles over all local strip clubs, and surround them with missile defense systems and lasers.

Rig it up so that one in every two public water fountains spews chocolate soy milk.

Rum shacks in every park.

Actually buy the world a Coke.

However, by far, our favorite suggestion is "build a giant escalator from the waterfront to Capitol Hill." We love the idea, but we also see some issues in the actual implementation. ("Hello?! You've been STANDING on the LEFT for the last FOUR blocks!") We're sure a study would solve that problem, though.

Well, Seattle? You've heard how we'd spend the money if we were running things in City Hall. Now tell us: How would YOU spend our recent $75 million windfall?

photo courtesy of Seattlest Flickr user rsplatpc