We are a go for an arena.

Those are words that just a year and a half ago not many people thought we'd ever be able to say in Sacramento. And we're not talking about an arena plan, or arena money. We're talking about an arena, shovels in the ground, purple hardhats on the workers.

The Kings sent out a press release this afternoon announcing that demolition of the Downtown Arena site will begin this Friday at 6:00 am. This is coming after the NBA's finance committee gave the green light on Sacramento's financing plan earlier today according to the Sacramento Bee.

The demolition won't begin in earnest for another couple of weeks, but in the meantime there will be sidewalk closures, protective barriers, and building materials delivered. The Kings are also providing an up to date interactive map on what's going on with the demoltion / construction here. It's also important to note that many of the existing Downtown Plaza businesses and restaurants will remain open during this period, in case you were worried that they would close.

This has been a long time coming, but for the first time, a new Sacramento arena is becoming not just an idea, but a reality. October of 2016 can't come soon enough.