Nearly 700 workers put in more than 250,000 hours to renovate the Spectrum Center, and on Thursday, we got a first look.

The $245 million in taxpayer funding for the renovations is expected to pay for all the planned work on the arena this year and next. Julian said that as work wraps up this month, the Hornets and the city will have a better sense of precise spending forecasts for the second phase.

Spectrum Center reopens this week after being closed for months of renovations. Why it matters: It's the first round of a major facelift for the Uptown arena. Spectrum Center will close again in 2025 during the NBA offseason.