Dome Stadium...... (cost, area, mayor)

[bhamoutlook]

This is good news. Maybe they'll be the partner if a new dome stadium comes.

BJCC Arena sells naming rights in 5-year, $2 million deal with Legacy Community Federal Credit Union | AL.com

[Tourian]

I hope so. We are running out of time for Bell's promised before year end announcement.

[bhamoutlook]

I'm wondering when someone at the BBJ or AL.COM is going to corner him and ask about it? You know, a little accountability if you will.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by bhamoutlook

I'm wondering when someone at the BBJ or AL.COM is going to corner him and ask about it? You know, a little accountability if you will.

it's not going to happen and i'm surprised anyone actually thought it would.

this dome/multipurpose facility has been a few years away for a couple decades now.

maybe one day it will happen, but there's really no use in worrying about it until firm plans are in place, financing is there, and dirt starts moving.

[raj kapoor]

This might be a good time to remind that dedicated funding has been in place a few years now and has collected enough to pay for 3/4 of the costs. But alas it is being spent willi nilli.

This is my main issue with Mayor Bell who has served us well after decades of buffoonery.

I do have faith in him however. He knows what this project means to Birmingham. He is strattling the divide between the greater good and those who think on a district level.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

This might be a good time to remind that dedicated funding has been in place a few years now and has collected enough to pay for 3/4 of the costs. But alas it is being spent willi nilli.

This is my main issue with Mayor Bell who has served us well after decades of buffoonery.

I do have faith in him however. He knows what this project means to Birmingham. He is strattling the divide between the greater good and those who think on a district level.

$400 million has been collected?

Even if it has been collected, if it has all been spent (and I'm pretty sure it has) then it's a moot point. Right now, Birmingham's balance sheet is pretty ugly. Isn't there something a ~$120 million bond that the city draws from to push projects along? The city could use every dime of that and it would merely be a down payment for the facility.

[raj kapoor]

No, all of the funds have not been spent. (at my last reading the collections were around 300 million, and at least half of that was spent to my knowledge, but the funding is not static)
As you know they do not have to have the funds in hand, just dedicated funding to support the financial instrument to move forward. (which of course means that once that financial instrument has been formalized they will not be able to use it as they have)

Birmingaham's balance sheet is far from being one of the worst around in these grey times. It has been fifty years since the kind of building and development that is going on in the valley has occured. This speaks very well for future tax collections as opposed to the past years before the Summit opened.
This is far from the darkest moment in the episodic planning for the expansion of the BJCC. The Westin/Uptown has been a great success and I have no doubt they will follow through with the planned expansion of same. (it and all the other new restaurants now open DT, and coming, are increasing the funding source daily)
Although the delays of this project since 1996 are very unfortunate, and have driven the price up, we are most likely in a better position today to finance this, even now that the county is not involved directly.

[Tourian]

They are looking to spend 700k on LF. Although this is just a band aid as opposed to a complete overhaul, I think it is necessary because even if a MUF were to break ground today, it would be ~3 years before it was ready. Also, the latest reports on what is going on with UAB and the fact that Birmingham's city council and some business are ready to turn their backs on Watts and the BBA it seems they are openly doubting their decision to cut football.

How the Birmingham Business Alliance's support of UAB President Ray Watts drew the wrath of many | AL.com

[bhamoutlook]

I think something needs to be done. However, I would say that maybe the city should throw that money at UAB for an on-campus stadium if they bring the football team back. I think that would have a bigger impact on the city's future... Especially on the site where they previously planned to build it. That would bring that much more life to Parkside. I'm probably just dreaming with that recommendation though.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by bhamoutlook

I think something needs to be done. However, I would say that maybe the city should throw that money at UAB for an on-campus stadium if they bring the football team back. I think that would have a bigger impact on the city's future... Especially on the site where they previously planned to build it. That would bring that much more life to Parkside. I'm probably just dreaming with that recommendation though.

Your dream is not as far out as the city thinking that Legion Field has even a marginal future.

It is old, rusting and falling apart. It is in a horrible part of town which would not be so bad except that it isn't even on a major thoroughfare. And if all that is not enough, it has no really adequate, dedicated parking.

We can not afford to have people from out of town getting lost in that area to be harmed ever again.