As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

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GRID
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by GRID »

Well you get the idea...

KC is backing itself into a corner. All we can hope for it either a quickly resolved bi-state that everyone can agree on or Cauthen gets out his balls again and tells metro KC that the Missouri side of the metro should build a new Downtown baseball stadium and sports arena and renovate Arrowhead with a new financing plan. I obviously prefer the later.

Anyway, this story is kind of scary…

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http://pitch.com/issues/2003-12-25/stli ... index.html

Dropping the Ball
Lease documents show that Jackson County could lose the Chiefs and Royals in 2007.
BY KENDRICK BLACKWOODKendrick.Blackwood@pitch.com


The Chiefs and Royals could choose to leave Kansas City in just a few years with no financial penalty unless Jackson County soon comes up with millions of dollars for stadium improvements.
Both sports teams use stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex under leases that last through 2015. But only recently have public officials acknowledged that little-known clauses in those contracts may cause the county to default on the leases in the year 2007 -- freeing both teams to leave. The leases, negotiated in 1989, require Jackson County to spend millions on improvements, with the most substantial work to be done by 2007. But officials admit that the county simply doesn't have enough money to fulfill those requirements.
This looming deadline has been left out of public debate while business leaders and politicians from both sides of the state line have argued over whether a new bistate regional sales tax should be put to voters. Such a tax increase may be essential -- and needed soon -- to keep the teams in Kansas City.
"Unless we negotiate new leases, because of increased costs there is a high probability that by 2007, there will not be sufficient funding for the 1990 master plan," Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields acknowledged in a written statement to the Pitch. "Unfortunately, the teams would then be free to leave Kansas City without having to pay economic damages."
"If they default the leases, then the teams basically would be free agents," says Jack Steadman, Chiefs chairman. "We don't want that to happen. They don't want that to happen."
The sports teams and Jackson County in October announced a deal that would tie both teams to town for 25 years and require as much as $354 million in public funding and $65 million from the Chiefs and Royals for stadium improvements -- but only if a new bistate tax is approved by the end of 2004.
But negotiations over a new bistate tax have been characterized mostly by bickering between officials in Jackson County and Johnson County, Kansas, over whether a new tax should benefit sports teams, the arts, schools or a combination of all three. Approval of a bistate tax would require a majority vote in both counties. Johnson County Commission Chair Annabeth Surbaugh says a new regional tax would have a better chance of passing in 2006.
But by that time, it would be too late to improve the stadiums and keep the teams.
Surbaugh admitted that she was unaware of the 2007 deadline.
"I guess I thought it was later than that," she tells the Pitch.
She's not the only one in the dark. The 2007 deadline has not been part of any public discussion of stadium improvements or a possible bistate tax.
The Chiefs chairman confirmed the deadline only after he was told that the Pitch had confirmed it with county officials. “Unless Jackson County makes it public, that’s not our place to announce that,â€
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by dangerboy »

Jeez, Katheryn Shields sure seems to be bungling this process. First she goes out of her way to piss of Johnson, twice. Then she fails to mention details like this one. While Jackson County owns the stadiums and should take a lead role in the lease negotations, if we expect the others counties put in money then we have to much more inclusive. They need to be included in the discussions early and often, even if it's just keeping them better briefed on the lease negotiations.

It's also disappointing that people are starting focus on their own agendas rather looking at the bigger regional picture. Kansas City is at important crossroads right now. Instead of fighting among ourselves we need to come together to take the entire metro area to the next level by retaining the professional sports, improving our arts resources, and building truely regional mass transit and trail networks. Most of this means convincing the suburbs to share the wealth, but it also means the city sharing more of the decision-making and some of the new investment.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by KC_JAYHAWK »

Yeah, Jackson County needs to get this resolved with either a Bi-State or go at it alone. Otherwise I can see Kansas trying to lure the teams over to JOCO or WYDOT with STAR Bonds.

My solution is simple. Using Bi-State, build a new football stadium in Kansas and put a new baseball stadium in downtown KC. That way, both teams get new state of the art stadiums and it will appease both sides of the state line. A new football stadium could be built by the Speedway and share the parking and feed off the development out west and a new Baseball stadium downtown would further spur development downtown. It's a win-win situation.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by bahua »

That wouldn't bother me in the least, jayhawk. I'd support it. Then, the JoCo folks'd stop bitching about the "Jackson County ticket rule." I'd happily support that in exchange for a downtown ballpark for the Royals.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by KCDevin »

why dont we just advance so much that they cannot use their stupid tax incentives? They need a good slap in the face and then some. Kansas (the people who are stealing business, sports and retail) are a pack of wolves and vultures who don't care about the good of the city. They try to compete with a city and state which are much larger than anything they have.
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Post by bahua »

The towns in Kansas are just doing what they can to assure their own prosperity. It's up to KCMO, and not anyone else, to assure KCMO's prosperity.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by StL_Dan »

KCDevin wrote:why dont we just advance so much that they cannot use their stupid tax incentives? They need a good slap in the face and then some. Kansas (the people who are stealing business, sports and retail) are a pack of wolves and vultures who don't care about the good of the city. They try to compete with a city and state which are much larger than anything they have.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by dangerboy »

KC_JAYHAWK wrote:My solution is simple. Using Bi-State, build a new football stadium in Kansas and put a new baseball stadium in downtown KC. That way, both teams get new state of the art stadiums and it will appease both sides of the state line. A new football stadium could be built by the Speedway and share the parking and feed off the development out west and a new Baseball stadium downtown would further spur development downtown. It's a win-win situation.
1) We can't afford two new stadiums, and besides Arrowhead can be great for another 30 years if it's maintained.

2) Moving the football stadium to the Speedway area is a bad idea. It's even further from the center of the metro than Arrowhead, and we already have problems with our big attractions being spread out all over the place.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by GRID »

Downtown KCK maybe, but the speedway? no no no.

Why can't the metro just get behind a renovated Arrowhead and a new downtown ballpark????????????????????????????????????????????????

Throw a soccer stadium in JoCo if you have to have something in Kansas, but OP is to KCMO as LS is to KCMO, why does the state line matter so much.

That's why I say, the 1.1 million people on the Missouri side can fund it and get discounted ticket prices or something.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by trailerkid »

They need a good slap in the face and then some. Kansas (the people who are stealing business, sports and retail) are a pack of wolves and vultures who don't care about the good of the city.
Devin, I am not sure if I should laugh or call homeland security. I hope you don't pray in church for vengence against Kansans. There's a lot of 'em who are actually pretty cool. :lol:

Here is what should happen:
Arrowhead... maintain and enhance ala Lambeau in GB. Invest in Arrowhead to solidify it as the best football venue in the world. Redevelop the land around Arrowhead ("Arrowhead City") for more attractions and restaurants without encroaching upon parking lot tailgating. Include an interesting and somewhat dense suburban mix of offices, housing, retail.

Baseball Stadium...build downtown. We know how to build a good stadium. We can have a new Kauffman modeled after the the old one with modern improvements. Build on our stadium heritage, but in a differenct location.

Arenas...Build two new 16,000+ seat arenas in downtown KCK and in downtown KC MO( I might take heat for this). Kansas City Fieldhouse in downtown Kansas City, Kansas would be built specifically for basketball and host a new or existing NBA franchise. The building would be a near shrine to basketball and trendsetting in having a retro appearance inside and out, but with cutting edge technology and features. Build the premiere venue for basketball in the world in Kansas City, a mecca of sorts. H&R Block Centre in downtown KC MO would be ultra-modern, glass and steel, and lend itself to the convention and KC Live district. It would host mega-concerts, conventions and events in the Midwest as well as a new or existing NHL franchise. The two arenas would compete seldom as the KC Fieldhouse would focus on the NBA franchise and basketball affiliated events and H&R Block Centre would be downtown KC MO's crown jewel hosting legendary concerts, large events and the NHL.

Wizards Stadium...build in Kansas. The Wizards have three attractive options in Kansas:
1.) Locate off the 435 by the OP Convention Center and Corporate Woods somewhere with interstate visibility.
2.) Build in an undeveloped part of the Village West complex near the Speedway, retail, etc.
3.) Locate across from the planned Lenexa City Center near the 435 in Lenexa.
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As our cross state brother builds it's third sports venue...

Post by phxcat »

That would be an ideal situation- each side of the state line gets something, we have redevelopment in downtown KCK and downtown KCMO. I believe that post was a little bit tongue in cheek, considering cost issues and the fact that we can't support NBA and NHL. However, when you raise the issue of two arenas, I don't think that would be that far fetched. The Sports Commission wants NHL for a new arena, rather than NBA in order to keep more dates open to make more money. Hypothetically speaking, if we did have two teams, I think two arenas would be viable.
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Post by trailerkid »

Minneapolis has the Target Center hosting the NBA Timberwolves while St. Paul has the Excel Energy Center hosts the NHL Minnesota Wild.
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Post by phxcat »

The Phoenix Suns play in America West and the Coyotes play in Glendale. Of course, America West was not built for hockey- the upper level hangs over the goals, so many seats couldn't view that end of the ice.
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Post by bahua »

Nonplural sports team names piss me off.
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Post by KC0KEK »

So if we did get NHL and NBA franchises, what are everyone's picks for names? (Assume that we'd be getting relocated franchises but not keeping their names. In other words, no Utah Jazz-type scenarios.)

I wish we could get the Kings name back because it's a great name to keep the leadership theme going.
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