Fear reigns in C.C. Elebash’s opinion in the PNJ (Cancel the baseball stadium). The viewpoint is filled with coulds, maybes and unsubstantiated conclusions – very similar to the Save Our City campaign against the park three years ago.
Let’s dissect this article:
First, Elebash loves to call the multi-use stadium a baseball stadium – it feeds his cohorts’ jealousies of Quint Studer. The stadium is designed for multiple uses – you can see all the possible configurations on the city’s website. It would be much cheaper to make it simply a baseball park, but that is not what this stadium is. Elebash knows this, but still argues the park isn’t multi-use.
Then Elebash likes to play with the budget. The public portion of the original plan could cost as much as $70 million – see “could.”
The plan by the master developer calls for $51 million to complete the public portion… and yes, the stadium is ahead of the conference center – BECAUSE that is what makes the entire complex viable for commercial and retail. Springdale Ark. built its baseball park, then master planned the surrounding area. Same thing happened with Grand Prairie, Tex.
“Almost everything else depends on hazy expectations of federal grants†– More hedging by Elebash – . “almost” – We know that Obama’s stimulus package could help this project. In fact, it was an excellent shot at getting funding since we’re so far into the planning process.
“Pensacola would be unwise to use borrowed money to build a stadium for a privately owned baseball team.” Yes, the Studers own the team, but they have pledged all profits to the CMPA and even guaranteed funds when there is no profit over the first five years. Elebash ignores these facts. Studers will not profit from having the team at the CMP. The city will.
“Minor league baseball does not attract out-of-town money or out-of-town people, and it does not create new spending.” No one has said that the CMP is only viable if it attracts out-of-town people. Under Elebash’s logic, we should not build anything in Pensacola. We don’t need a new movie theater – because we already have one. Why have more than one seafood restaurant – another restaurant doesn’t attract out-of-town dollars? Why have more than one art gallery? Why have more than one anything?
Besides a dollar spent at the stadium – whose profits go back into the community – is better than a dollar spent a Rave Movie theater whose profits go out of town. The transfer of spending from one business to another is good if the new business is locally-owned and gives its profits to the city.
“The City Council should give top priority to the public waterfront park and amphitheater.” Elebash is not stating anything new. All agree on this point. The current plan has these as priorities. However, a public park doesn’t bring jobs or help the downtown economy. How many jobs has the new city park at the end of Palafox created? How has it helped downtown retail or housing? No, another city park is not the answer. It’s an important component and will for the first time in the City’s 450 year history give the public access to Pensacola Bay.
Elebash says. “Preponderance of evidence is that stadiums are poor investments for local governments,” and quotes sports columnist Mark Yost to back his opinion. Yost is writing about major league stadiums that cost $100 million+plus to build. Elebash sites no local minor league stadiums that have been built in the past five years that have failed. Mayor after mayor that the IN has interviewed as talked about how their stadiums have been good investments.
We talked to the mayors of Charleston and Greenville, SC. Elebash has not. They both tout their parks as key components to their revitalizations. As does Springdale, Ark, Montgomery, Ala and Grand Prairie, Tex.
In 2005, 2006 and today, I challenge Elebash to pick five minor league baseball parks that have been built in the past five years and I will pick five. Let’s truly analyze them and let the facts be the – no more half-truths, coulds, almosts or maybes.
Elebash concludes with: “Canceling the stadium would ease the need for borrowing and improve the chances of receiving federal grants.”
The CMP has nothing to do with the city’s pensions. CRA money can’t be used for pensions. The CRA money is what will be repaying the CMP bonds – not the General Fund. Another fact that Elebash knows but chooses to not tell the reader.
There is no proof that canceling the stadium improves chances of receiving federal grants. In fact, we’ve talked with lobbyists that say having a project that is already planned out – like the CMP – gives us an advantage.