James Brown's "homegoing" celebration gave new glory to the old Augusta civic center recently renamed in his honor; however, Mayor Deke Copenhaver says the positive vibes might not be enough to keep the coliseum around.

"Ultimately, I do think the city is going to have look towards another arena at some point," said Mr. Copenhaver, who believes if the coliseum is torn down, its replacement still should be named for Mr. Brown and remain downtown.

J.R. Riles, who originally proposed renaming the arena after the Godfather of Soul, is geared toward preservation. He said it would be a historic loss to tear down the building after Mr. Brown lay in his gold casket there Dec. 30.

Instead, he said, the condition of the arena should be raised to a standard that honors Mr. Brown and also better suits the concert industry.

"Since it's become a historic site now, we can remodel the civic center," he said. He added the possibility of making it smaller should be examined since he said performers have moved toward using smaller venues.

Mr. Copenhaver said in an interview last week he isn't convinced that it's possible to renovate the building to cater to the needs of modern special events.

Because no timetable has been set for a new arena, he said he supports, and believes the Augusta Commission supports, providing money for arena renovations in the meantime.

Mr. Riles said it's high time city leaders showed more support for Mr. Brown. He said none of them has ever done anything for him, except for former Augusta Mayor Bob Young.

City leaders balked at renovation proposals before the facility was named after Mr. Brown. They rejected the Coliseum Authority's request in 2005 to include the project in a special one-cent sales tax initiative. Then, the authority asked again in July and was brushed aside with a response of maybe, Mr. Riles said.

However, Mr. Brown's death likely will change the commissioners' stance on the arena, said political observer Dr. Ralph Walker, the director of the Augusta State University research center.

"It's sort of been the center of attention, and when that happens, politicians tend to go with public opinion," he said.

How the city would fund the improvements in the meantime - through bond money or a special purpose local option sales tax - Mr. Copenhaver couldn't say.

But if they did pursue funding that needed voter approval, now would be the time to do it, Dr. Walker said. He said a referendum with Mr. Brown's name attached to it would have a high probability of passing, especially so close to his death.

For the arena, the death has magnified what began as a marketing ploy to draw attention to the facility through the internationally recognized soul singer's celebrity status.

The renaming, which took place in August, drew notice around the world. But now, it appears to be giving the arena a spot in musical history, which might not have been intentional but was sought once Mr. Brown died.

Shortly after his death was confirmed, officials began moving to hold the public funeral there. And Coliseum Authority member Richard Isdell even suggested Mr. Brown be buried at the site.

Regardless of whether the renaming or the public ceremony there makes the building historic, Mr. Riles said it proved to be a milestone for the struggling arena nonetheless.

"It was filled for the James Brown funeral, and it's been a long time since it looked like that."

Reach Justin Boron at (706) 823-3215 or justin.boron@augustachronicle.com.