OKLAHOMA CITY -- A day after the announcement of a deal that will bring the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City this fall, city leaders said they are working with the team to prepare the Ford Center for its arrival.

City leaders are trying to find improvements to the arena that can be started quickly and ready for the first tip-off this fall.

�Suddenly, our time table is accelerated because we were under the assumption we had until 2010 for the team to be here, and we had arena improvements that we are going to make,� said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

Ford Center Marketing Director Tim Linville says some improvements must be done before the team can play, though fans may not notice them. Those improvements include upgraded wiring for HDTV signals and improving lighting over the court.

�There is a few places we have to go back and make some minor upgrades on those sort of things,� Linville said. �Just so we are ready to have them to the standards everyone expects for this year.�

Cornett said major rehabilitation of the building will wait until 2010 and that board members are still working out a timeline. Fans can see some of the newly-approved designs for the renovation during an open house on July 12.