$4 for a bottle of water? Outrageous.....
Cavaliers remove water fountains from home arena
By Meghan Barr
Thirsty basketball fans cheering on the Cleveland Cavaliers will have to wait at a concession stand the next time they want a sip of water.
Citing concerns over swine flu, the team said Monday that all drinking water fountains have been removed from Quicken Loans Arena to reduce the spread of bacteria and communicable diseases.
The fountains were removed in November, said team spokesman Tad Carper. Fans who want a drink of water can now get a 9-ounce cup for free at the concession stand or pay $4 for bottled water.
“This was done in an effort to foster the most health-safe environment we felt we could provide for our fans,” Carper said in an e-mailed statement.
Carper said he’s not aware of any other NBA teams who have removed water fountains from their arenas. He said the team has also significantly increased its cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the arena in light of what he called the “national health landscape.”
Carper said the decision was based on information from several qualified sources, though he did not specify who those sources were.
Removing the fountains was not an attempt to force fans to purchase bottled water, Carper said.
The team did not consult the city’s health department, which does not recommend removing fountains as a health precaution, said department director Matt Carroll.
“I haven’t been able to find anything in the whole H1N1 world that says water fountains are a concern,” Carroll said.
Instead, the city recommends following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including regular hand-washing and covering your mouth when you cough.
A message seeking comment from the NBA was not returned on Monday.
Health concerns? What a crock of .
is more like it.
If the health dept doesn't feel it's a problem then this makes no sense.
Exactly.
This is reminiscent of the ol' fear of getting AIDS from a toilet seat.
So why not offer free water from the stands then? Or put up water with paper cups?
They're just trying to cash in on Lebron's final season.
Fans who want a drink of water can now get a 9-ounce cup for free at the concession stand
Too bad 98% of the people won't have any idea that there is free water and they'll get suckered into a $4 bottle.
Cavaliers plan to restore water fountains
The Cleveland Cavaliers plan to reinstall drinking fountains at their arena after having removed them in November to prevent the spread of swine flu and other illnesses.
Cavaliers spokesman Tad Carper says concession stands will continue to offer free cups of water. The arena also will have staffed “water stations” beginning with Thursday night’s Cavaliers game against Orlando until the new fountains are installed near the end of the month.
The Ohio Department of Commerce says the state building code requires one fountain for every 1,000 occupants.
David Cooper, of Cleveland’s Building and Housing Department, says the arena would have been required to obtain a permit to remove the fountains.
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