Meeting Feb 1st SL County

[bordelais7]

Question: Channel 5 reported that a bond would cost taxpayers $45 mil. Where are they getting this number?

[Deuce]

Originally Posted by bordelais7

Question: Channel 5 reported that a bond would cost taxpayers $45 mil. Where are they getting this number?

From the 15m purchase price of Land and for the 30m bond for the stadium.
As far as I know the bond will only be for 30m but am not sure where the land money comes from.

The stadium proposal was given out last night but I have not obtained a digital copy yet! I will post that copy when I get it.

[Dadof3]

The $15 - $20 mil total for the city would be RDA funds for purchasing the land and puttig in the TRAX stop.

The additional $30 for the county would be to share in the bricks and mortar costs.

The big questions today...and for the next few years...is not whether the cities in question will purchase the land (a Delta Center deal)...but whether the county would be willing to put a $30 mil bond on the ballot and whether said bond will pass ... if NOT, does RSL have the financial resources to build the stadium themselves? No one seems to know the answer, and Checketts ducked the questions last night.

However, there is some good news. Checketts does not want to come across as trying to blackmail anyone into getting a stadium. He stated that he lives in SLC, grew up in SLC, and has put his team in SLC. Even if they do not get the $ they need to build the stadium, they will still be in SLC. He is positive that the team will be a success at the box office.

After discussing the issues with some front office personnel, RSL's attendance plan appears to be to maximize their built in BIG games: home opener, July 4th (with a big fireworks display), Pioneer Day (with big fireworks also)...(last night Checketts mentioned that the Pioneer Day game will be DC-Adu); and to get as many season tickets sold as possible. If they can get 30k plus for the big three, they only need to average somewhere in the 10-12k range to average 15k, which is the # they have told the politician they need to break even in their own stadium.

At the get-together, they also had a large shot of the Home Depot Center...it really is quite breathtaking.

[Jose Luis Luviano]

This year, we would be having a Pioneer Day Eve game.

Maybe Clint & the rest of us Heathens can go to Wendover on July 24th?

The most breath-taking thing about Victoria Street is the fact that Phil Anshutz paid for the whole thing himself. In fact, he's paying "rent" for the land. (a percentage of the revenue, I think)

Of course, some of the money for Victoria Street came from the USSF (which the USMNT pointed out during their contract dispute), $8 beers, Dave Matthews concerts, rugby, high school gridiron, etc.

But LA County did not become the 10th largest economy in the world (or whatever it is) by doing stupid things like spending tax dollars on pro sports facilities.

When Major League Baseball grants Larry H Miller an expansion franchise or when they let the Twins move here because Minnesotans are also far too smart to fall for Blackmail; do we really want our stadium used as a precedent?

They can use food stamps to buy tickets to see Lebron.

Let's look at Ohio.

Cleveland has the highest poverty rate of any big city in the country. They have also wasted billions of tax dollars building stadiums for the Browns, Cavaliers & Indians. Cincinnati is at 15th, with their new yards for the Reds & Bengals.

Way back at 34th is Columbus, with its privately funded hockey arena and Crew Stadium, which Lamar Hunt built himself.

Of course, there is not a direct correlation between taxpayer funding for sports stadiums and poverty. Parts of LA have a higher crime rate and higher poverty rate than Bagdad, and they haven't built any pro sports stadiums recently. Seattle has given some of the richest men in the world taxpayer money to build stadiums and they are doing OK.

I know that I'm in the minority when I say this, but it's better to let Dave Checketts threaten to move the team to Rochester than to turn ourselves into a Cleveland with better skiing.

[SoccerPrime]

In case anyone missed Dean Howes, CEO of RSL, said that RSL has every intention to use the SSS for concerts and HS football.

[the cup]

Hey, did anyone see me on the Fox 13 news? They interviewed me out in the hall before the meeting. I'm not sure the name of the reporter but she came up as I was just standing there taking it all in and she asked if she could ask me a couple of questions.

I said sure and she told me where to stand and then the guy came up with the camera and the light came on. Thats when my mind went blank except for the little voice inside my head that said, "Don't mess up......you're messing up.......what the hell are you saying......oh you're a looser." I'll tell ya, when that light comes on on top of the camera you suddenly realize what everyone who is on the news feels and that is, "Oh crap, I'm not prepared for this." (Except for McKid when they interviewed him at the superdraft, he came across as a pro)

Anyway, my brother taped it since I was at the house of a friend doing my taxes so I'll have to go back and see what I said, but I remember saying something about Salt Lake being an international city and soccer being and international sport and that I couldn't imagine anything better than a nice soccer stadium going downtown.

I saw Deuce there but didn't have a chance to talk to him. While hanging out in the hall I stood pretty close to Senator Jake Garn and Frank and Barbara Layden while they talked for awhile. From what I could gather I think Garn's son is working in the front offices. And I think Frank Layden was there just to support Checketts since he left the meeting right after Checketts gave his spiel to the Boardmembers. Oh, Checketts walked by me as he was comming into the hallway when he first got there and upon noticing I was wearing my Real hat he said, "Hey, nice hat." I politely smiled and nodded and thought about trying to talk to him or shake his hand but again the voice in my head told me not to move or say anything.

I got there at 5:30 and I guess it was about 6:15 when everyone made there way into the room for the meeting. Checketts gave his presentation to the Board and it went well I believe. Here are a few things I can remember:

1. Checketts told how he came to love soccer when the NBA sent him to Europe to see about the possibility of setting up a NBA Europe but instead he realized soccer needed to be brought to this country instead of basketball going over there. Then he talked about how committed he was to making Real work here since he loves Salt Lake, was born and raised here and how he has the exprience to make it work since he learned from the success of the Jazz.

2. He defended MLS well and explained how once teams get their SSS they then start to make money. He also explained how MLS is going to work since he is part of a group of owners that are committed and how they know how to make a sports league work naming off all of the owners of MLS teams and also the NFL teams that they own.

3. He talked some about how DC is using all public money to build the DC Nationals a baseball stadium since that was one of the requirements otherwise the Expos wouldn't have decided to move to DC. He compared that to his situation where he is bring MLS here and they are here to stay. And also how he isn't asking for all public money but only alittle more than half. Trying to show how this isn't an outragous amount of money.

4. He had to explain how the MLS season runs at which point they discussed other uses for the stadium. A Boardmember or two asked why they just couldn't stay at Rice-Eccles and thats when Checketts had to explain how there were just going to be too many empty seats on games other than the opener, July 4th and July 24th.

5. Oh, get this. They had packets of info for the media and others that had the entire year's schedule. I wish I would have somehow grabbed one but anyway, the schedule is out there somewhere.

6. Also, get this, this is the big one. Checketts has been entertaining the idea of the stadium having a retractable roof. He thinks it maybe neccessary in order for the stadium to be used all year. However realizes that it would increase greatly the cost of the stadium and may be out of our reach. But it sounds like he would really like that.

7. One of the Boardmembers talked Checketts into a corner alittle bit by saying that if the stadium doesn't have a retractable roof they won't be able to use it for concerts because of noise ordinances downtown. Therefore the stadium won't be able to be used for as much as they say it will.

8. They asked why they couldn't wait a few more years and give it a chance to see if the team is really going to make it before they make a decision but Checketts said that he is not the kind of guy to wait. He wants to move and get things going now. He said he is committed to making everything work, he isn't going to move the team and he wants to get things done. There was also alot of talk by Checketts on how he likes the Murray deal as well. He said everything will work just fine for him in Murray but he kept asking everyone to "Do your best" to make it work for downtown.

9. Finally, Checketts said that he set the deadline for that night to tell the other MLS owners where he is going to build the stadium. He said he wasn't putting preasure on the Board to commit to anything but that he had already asked for a 30 day extension from the other owners and he was going to make up his mind last night. So I suppose Checketts has made his mind up at this point.

Anyway, I wanted to stay to hear the public comment but at that point it was already 7:30 and I had to get to my friends house to get my taxes done. And still the RDA hadn't spoken yet so that meeting could have gone on to 9:30 I bet. Oh, and Mayor Rocky Anderson got up and talked for just a few minutes but he was totally behind the stadium for Block 22 as well.

Pretty good stuff though. You can tell Checketts has friends in high places.

But one good sign was that the Board all said numerous times how happy they were to have Real in town and that they would really like to make it work for downtown.

[clarette]

Originally Posted by Jose Luis Luviano

This year, we would be having a Pioneer Day Eve game.

Maybe Clint & the rest of us Heathens can go to Wendover on July 24th?

Hahahahaha... Cletus in Dover? That would be the raddest thing ever. Seriously.

I'd make a special "Cletus Groupie" wife-beater for that occasion...

[SoccerPrime]

Great job Cup, sounds like a picky mess but at least its got potential to give RSL a stadium downtown.

I think I read on the Net today that Checketts was going to delay his announcement a little more.

[Jose Luis Luviano]

Originally Posted by the cup

Hey, did anyone see me on the Fox 13 news? They interviewed me out in the hall before the meeting. I'm not sure the name of the reporter but she came up as I was just standing there taking it all in and she asked if she could ask me a couple of questions.

Cup, I think I saw you. You are now tied with McKid for Best Soccer Media Pundit. (The coveted "Bite Me, Graeme Jones" Award)

Very good, report; Cup!!!!!

Originally Posted by the cup

2. He defended MLS well and explained how once teams get their SSS they then start to make money. He also explained how MLS is going to work since he is part of a group of owners that are committed and how they know how to make a sports league work naming off all of the owners of MLS teams and also the NFL teams that they own.

That's true. But Lamar & Phil built their own stadiums (and Uncle Jorge is helping out in LA.

And what with Earl Holding owning some of the downtown land; nothing is going to be built there without some kind of taxpayer subsidy. So it might as well be Mrs Fields Stadium (The Cookie Jar).

But what's the point of a nice stadium if I can't afford tickets to it because my property taxes went up to California levels?

Originally Posted by the cup

3. He talked some about how DC is using all public money to build the DC Nationals a baseball stadium since that was one of the requirements otherwise the Expos wouldn't have decided to move to DC. He compared that to his situation where he is bring MLS here and they are here to stay. And also how he isn't asking for all public money but only a little more than half. Trying to show how this isn't an outragous amount of money.

A small, thrifty Heinous Screwing Of Taxpayers That Drives Business Out Of The Area is still a Heinous Screwing Of Taxpayers That Drives Business Out Of The Area.

Larry Miller did not buy the Stingers because he likes the Merengue music that they play for the Dominican players.

Overstock.com Stadium (The Warehouse) will be the precedent for a major league baseball stadium.

[Arelius]

The Cup: “Oh, get this. They had packets of info for the media and others that had the entire year's schedule. I wish I would have somehow grabbed one but anyway, the schedule is out there somewhere.”


I can’t believe you didn’t get the schedule!!!!