Over the summer, the war memorial outside The Dunk will be removed and stored, the utilities around the building relocated, the ice system inside the building replaced, the bowl-like ceiling repainted and a new scoreboard installed.

It will be the first public signs of the renovation, which will be funded by state bonds, and began last year. In November, the Convention Center Authority, an arm of state government purchased The Dunk from the city of Providence for $28.5 million and began planning the overhaul.

"Disruption,'' is what people will see this summer when they pass by The Dunk, said James McCarvill, executive director of the convention center authority.

``They are going to see things dug up, things that are moved, they are going to see something is happening,'' said McCarvill.

It's been a long wait. It took the city and the state more than two years to hammer out a sale of the property, which has been losing money and slowly deteriorating. The state plans to update the building, adding new concessions, seats and bathrooms, expanding the lobby and putting in money-making luxury boxes.

As part of the renovation, The Dunk will be connected to the next-door convention center, allowing the state to market both properties as one giant complex for conventions and exhibitions.

-- Journal staff writer Andrea Stape