Thursday, December 3, 2009

A fairpark stadium finds favor on Hill

(by Brandy Snyder desnews.com 7-21-05)

Rural legislators who have significant power in Utah politics and share a keen interest in the Utah State Fairpark seem warm to the idea of putting a Major League Soccer stadium on the grounds.

But on the larger issue of whether the state should kick in tax dollars to help build the stadium, those same lawmakers are ice cold.

Richard Frenette, executive director of the state Fairpark, offered a soccer stadium briefing Wednesday to the rurally influenced Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Interim Committee.

Rep. Brad Johnson, R-Aurora, told Frenette that there was a rumor going around that rural lawmakers didn't support the idea. In fact, Johnson said, rural lawmakers, himself included, are keen to it.

"I can see a lot of advantage for the fair to have the soccer stadium there," he said. "As I've talked to other rural legislators we think this is nothing but help."

The plan, Frenette said, is for the state to offer 10-12 acres of Fairpark land where the stadium could be built. The stadium would then be constructed and operated by Real Salt Lake, which has said it will use the stadium as a year-round venue attracting events beyond just soccer.

The state, in turn, would control the stadium parking, which would be on the Fairpark, and split the revenues with the soccer team. Those extra parking revenues would help reduce the taxpayer subsidies that contribute to maintaining the Fairpark and thus make the grounds more sustainable, Frenette said.

A similarly structured deal with the Columbus Crew helped rescue Ohio's struggling Fairpark, which Frenette formally headed.

Most, if not all, the committee members liked the idea, especially if it would help generate more revenue for the Fairpark, which some have described as a "financial drain."

But when asked if they would support putting state tax dollars into the stadium, none said yes.

"I personally think an event center of that magnitude can be self-sustaining" and "taxpayers wouldn't have to pay for it," committee chairman Roger Barrus, R-Centerville, said.

The lawmakers said they don't buy the notion that the stadium will generate new economic revenue and maintain the state has higher funding priorities than a stadium.

Real Salt Lake has consistently said it will contribute $30 million toward a roughly $60 million stadium and wants public tax dollars to make up the difference.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said earlier this year that he will work with a "coalition of the willing" to help make the soccer stadium happen but stopped short of saying whether state tax dollars should help build the arena. Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson later proposed the Fairpark option as a way to bring state participation to the table after his attempts to locate a stadium site downtown failed.

But if the Legislature is unwilling to help, Real is likely is back to its original option of asking the Salt Lake County Council to put a $30 million bond vote on the countywide ballot and let voters decide if they will support a tax increase to pay for the stadium.

But like the Legislature, most, if not all, county council members are cold to a bond and a few have floated the idea that Real should stay at its interim home, the University of Utah's Rice Eccles Stadium.

Real officials have balked at staying at Rice-Eccles beyond their current three-year lease. Team leaders maintain they need to be able to program their own stadium and sell advertising there in order to be profitable.

Rep. David Ure, R-Kamas, said he thought it was premature to be discussing the Fairpark option since Real hasn't decided where it will seek to put the stadium and because the team has yet to secure funding.

"I was surprised to see it here today," Ure said. "I think it's premature."

Ure added that "I support soccer, by the way" but noted "it's a private organization" that should build its stadium with private funds.

Sandy and Murray also have pitched potential stadium sites and Real has yet to decide where it will look to build.

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