Critical votes on long-delayed CT arena renovation back on track. Here’s what changed.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong told legislators Wednesday that his office has no role in reviewing a management agreement that is key to a $145 million renovation of Hartford’s aging XL Center — helping to put critical votes back on track for the long-delayed project, the first possibly coming next week.

“In light of pending litigation, however, as a member of the State Bond Commission , I plan to recuse myself from any discussion or vote on the matter should it come before the commission,” Tong wrote in a letter to Republican legislative leaders Rep. Vincent Candelora and Sen. Stephen Harding.

Last week, Candelora and Harding raised concerns about Tong’s involvement in federal antitrust litigation tied partly to the ticketing company that provides services to the XL Center.

At the same time, as a member of the bond commission, Tong would be asked to approve $125 million in state funding for the renovation project, the legislators said.

Ticketmaster, which serves the sports and entertainment complex, is an affiliate of Live Nation Entertainment Inc. Live Nation, along with Ticketmaster, was sued by the U.S. Justice Department and 30 states, including Connecticut, for an alleged monopoly that thwarts competition in markets across the live entertainment industry. The civil lawsuit, filed in May, seeks to lower prices for fans and open more venues to working musicians and other performance artists.

Ticketmaster also has close ties to Los Angeles-based Oak View Group , which now manages the XL Center arena day-to-day, and is crucial to the renovation moving ahead. A tentative agreement between the Capital Region Development Authority and OVG would provide $20 million for the renovation.

OVG would take a larger role managing the venue and booking events, particularly concerts.

In his letter, Tong noted: “Vibrant, economically strong cities are essential to our state’s long-term prosperity. The future of the XL Center is indeed a key component to the economy of Hartford.”

Michael W. Freimuth, CRDA’s executive director, said CRDA’s board of directors could meet as early as Tuesday to vote on the agreement with OVG, the scope of the renovations and using certain CRDA funds for the project.

Discussions with OVG over the agreement were still ongoing Wednesday “but AG resolve is obviously important news.” Freimuth said, in an email.

In addition to the bond commission, the state Office of Policy and Management also must sign off on the agreement, Freimuth said.

Freimuth has said the connection between OVG and Ticketmaster had been discussed previously by the CRDA board members, with some concerns mirroring the legislature’s GOP.

Freimuth said OVG’s contract with Ticketmaster at the XL Center expires in a year. Part of the tentative agreement with OVG requires new bids then be sought for the arena’s ticketing service. The tentative agreement also gives CRDA veto power over the ticketing service that is selected by OVG, Freimuth said.

A lengthy delay would be a major setback to the project because the current bids for the work expire in September. CRDA is already on its second set of bids after the first did not come within budget.

The project, debated and downsized over the last decade, needs to work around the busy fall and spring seasons at the arena.

The renovations are promoted as boosting the arena’s attractiveness for concert bookings and making it profitable, reversing a money-losing track record that has long required a state subsidy of about $2 million a year.

The arena makeover project — downsized from $250 million in 2018 after there was no appetite for that price tag — now focuses on premium, higher-priced seating; a relocated, fully-outfitted concert stage and crucial IT upgrades.

Kenneth R. Gosselin can be reached at kgosselin@courant.com .