The University of Washington is lobbying in Olympia for$150 million in public money to be allocated for the renovation of Husky Stadium. This proposal marks the first time the UW Athletic Department has asked for public funds.

An additional $150 million will be provided by the UW to finance further repairs and improvements to the stadium, the oldest part of which is 80 years old.

“I haven’t talked to anybody who understands the stadium who doesn’t understand the need for it to be renovated,” said Norm Arkans, executive director of media and communications at the UW. “The bowl is old and wearing away and it needs to be replaced.”

There has been little doubt in the local media that improving safety in the stadium is of paramount importance, but there have been questions about whether King County funds should be used for the renovation. King County citizens already pay taxes that help pay for Safeco Field, Qwest Field and even the Kingdome.

The UW proposal, however, asks for $150 million less than the SuperSonics 2007 proposal and will not introduce new taxes to King County. Rather, existing taxes instituted to fund Safeco Field have generated more revenue than expected and will be paid off sooner than expected.

“What we’re saying is, redirect that revenue stream to help pay off bonds for Husky Stadium,” Arkans said. “So it’s no new taxes.”

The taxes contributing to Seattle’s professional sports teams include a car rental tax, a hotel and motel tax, and a food and beverage tax.

“A lot of our out-of-town patrons come in, use hotels, rent cars and eat at restaurants, and I think we contribute significantly to the Seattle tourism economy,” said Scott Woodward, the UW’s interim athletic director.

The proposal ultimately rests in the hands of the state Legislature. Sen. Margarita Prentice (D-Renton) introduced a bill on Friday by to finance the renovation proposal.

Woodward, Huskies football coach Tyrone Willingham and UW President Mark Emmert are set to make their case in front of the same committee early in February.

The bill helped revive earlier claims made by the Seattle P-I and The Seattle Times that funding for the stadium’s renovations were essentially “dead.”

“It’s far from dead and it’s far from done,” Woodward said.

If the legislature approves the funding plan, construction would begin immediately after the conclusion of the 2008 football season. Renovations and improvements would continue through the 2009 season.

The renovations would have to take effect within such a short time span because the UW hopes to rush ahead of the Sound Transit construction that will take place right outside the stadium.

“It’s a huge construction project,” Arkans said. “We’d like to get this construction done before that because trying to do it at the same time the other one is going on, one, would be very difficult, [and] two, would very likely increase the cost of the project substantially.”

The Sound Transit construction will take at least five years, and because the stadium is in need of immediate and extensive repairs, the most opportune time to complete the renovations is within the next year. Woodward is skeptical of what can be done if the legislature declines to finance the renovations.

“We don’t have a plan B,” he said.

[Reach reporter Andrew Doughman at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]