Ford Center improvements (Tulsa, Edmond, Okay: how much, attorney, to buy)

[n8tiv_okie]

vote no
vote no

[stiffnecked]

I second the NO vote. The Ford Center only benfits a very limited segment of the communtiy. They would be much better off supporting the new casino the Indians want to put in out by Edmond. It would provide over 1000 year-round jobs.

If a pro-basketball team wants to locate here they should pay there own way.

[happytown]

The Ford Center benefits the entire community and State!!! Money will pour into all parts of town because of a MAJOR LEAGUE team, that is why cities fight for the darn franchises to begin with...

Does Norman benefit by having the Sooner football team?? Of course it does!! Money goes in many different directions when any kind of big entertainment hits a market. Whether it be sports or not. Back to economics 101 if this cant be understood.

We should feel very very fortunate that OKC is getting a NBA team in the near future. Just because the owners are from OKC doesnt mean we can slap them around like Seattle did with Shultz. Also the market here can handle a NBA team. It wont be a 3 yr romance and then leave. Stern wont even allow Shinn to move the Hornets.
NO ranks dead last in attendance and the hornets are playing great with young superstars.
If a team comes to OKC it will stay in OKC for a LONG time. Stern has publicly stated more than a million times that he intends on making teams stay and work with their cities/markets.

Stiff- Also, the casino is in OKC not Edmond. It will be built near Remington Park and be a huge asset to the Adventure district (Zoo, Remington, Science Museum Oklahoma, Zoo amphitheatre and Softball Ballpark/Hall of Fame). It is considered a resort/casino;will cost 400M for the Shawnee tribe; The plans call for a 4 star hotel/Bowling lounge/movie theatres/monster swimming pools/casinos....OKC doesnt have to pay a penny.
VOTE YES and keep the huge momentum/renaissance going in OKC.

[Bobby H]

I'm not very fond of subsidizing the construction of stadiums and arenas with taxpayer dollars when they're primarily used by professional sports teams that make a fortune of money and whose high ticket prices tend to lock out a lot of people from seeing the games.

However, I will acknowledge the fact that having a pro sports team, such as an NBA team, definitely elevates a city in terms of marketing status and does generate more business.

BTW, I think the renderings of the Ford Center renovation look pretty decent. However, I hate the font they're using for the "Ford Center" lettering at the entrance. It's the bold weight of a dated looking letter style called "Britannic." The final sign designs for the front entrance and elsewhere should look a lot better than this.

On the matter of taxpayer subsidies for casinos...I think that's crazy.

First, isn't this casino going to be "tribe owned" like all other casinos in Oklahoma? We don't get much of anything from those entities.

IMHO, casinos are largely a negative drain on our economy rather than anything positive. Lots of residents, many of them lower income residents, pour much of their discretionary income into the casino's coffers instead of spending that money in regular retail and service businesses. All that money is spent. Nothing is there to show for it. And Oklahoma doesn't even get much, if any, tax revenue from it either.

Sure, one can use the argument of casinos drawing tourism. But that argument doesn't work all that well when applied to Oklahoma. There's countless numbers of casinos in Oklahoma. They're scattered all over the state. Most are very unremarkable. Only a handful can actually be called "casino/resorts."

Las Vegas, Tunica, Shreveport, Atlantic City and other places like that are good at attracting lots of tourism business because the casinos are organized and concentrated into a specific area. Now if Oklahoma City can manage something like that on the riverfront, that would be fine. But I'm still against supporting it with taxpayer dollars. I would only say yes if they make a concrete, absolutely binding contract that pays back OKC taxpayers for the funding and continues providing tax revenue to the city.

[peggydavis]

I don't think any of the casinos in OK are or ever will be built with taxpayer money.

[2010grad]

I agree. Just because you may not go to the ford center does not mean you should support these upgrades. They will benefit our city not just for NBA use but for more concerts and shows, etc. Having a nicer arena attracts more things.

VOTE YES
VOTE YES

[stiffnecked]

Vote no. Fund it with a bond issue. Make temporary sales taxes, temporary. Most low income people don't waste their money at casino's. That's just a bunch of propoganda that they Baptist's put out. Most low income people actually waste their money on food, clothing and living expenses.....

[peggydavis]

Casinos are not related to the Ford Center improvements at all.

I don't like bond issues to fund public projects because of all the expense involved. Interest, underwriters, administration etc. With sales taxes, you pay as you go and very little is lost to expense.

[happytown]

I think the current sales tax tells all. OKC rate is 8.375 and Tulsa is 8.517. The sales tax will not increase and the city will OWN all facilities...Ford Center needs the upgrades anyway and this will attract so much private investment/better concerts and conventions/prestige for the city and the entire state ect.

It is hard to believe that people would want to vote NO. This will HURT the state!! Wake up people!

Stiff- Do you not want a NBA team in OKC/State of Oklahoma?? Please keep Oklahomas best interest in mind. This aint gonna cost you more than few tips at a restaurant. Do you know that you can actually get the tiny bit of money back from the city if you want to.
I just want to get the word out that this will cause problems for the entire state of Oklahoma....Private companies invest in progressive states with big visions. The state is riding on the back of OKC right now! As a STATE we have to show that we can be competitive with other states.

[n8tiv_okie]

Originally Posted by happytown

Ford Center needs the upgrades anyway and this will attract so much private investment/better concerts and conventions/prestige for the city and the entire state ect.

I just want to get the word out that this will cause problems for the entire state of Oklahoma....Private companies invest in progressive states with big visions. The state is riding on the back of OKC right now! As a STATE we have to show that we can be competitive with other states.

Okay, I think the point that's being missed is WHY does an arena that's basically "new" need upgrades already? Should this not have been a concern BEFORE the first brick was laid?
Supposedly, back when it was slated to be constructed it was to be "one of the finest and most-advanced arenas" to bring an NHL team to OKC. Okay, so we didn't get an NHL team but why now, 5 years later is it not good enough for an NBA team? My opinion is because they wanted to do it on the cheap like most projects in Oklahoma. Also, so any pro team could decorate or renovate the arena how they wanted. To me, that is up to the team who accepts a contract to play in that building, NOT the citizens.
I have no interest in the NBA whatsoever. Sure, it brings tax dollars but where is the overall payoff for OKC? I would love an NHL team in OKC, but I don't expect the citizens to pay for one to play here.
As for being competitive with other states, it really involves more than just a pretty arena. Take into consideration the television and radio market, parking, weather and everything else including what the people actually want.
Me? I want better roads, better education for our children and better civil opportunities for the citizens. An NBA team won't bring that.
But I digress......