Dome Stadium...... (Birmingham, Mobile, Jacksonville: car rental, purchaser, sales tax)

[Tourian]

"It will happen."

'It will happen:' Birmingham will get domed stadium with or without public approval, says Gene Hallman | AL.com

Birmingham will get a domed stadium in the next few years whether the public wants one or not. That was the message shared by Gene Hallman, CEO of the Bruno Event Team and Executive Director of the Alabama Sports Foundation at a Birmingham CREW luncheon on Tuesday.
"We don't need public support," Hallman said. "I don't mean to be arrogant, but we aren't running a campaign like we did in 1998 where we need a vote-- we are looking to fund the stadium using existing funds from the city, county or state. The best thing we can do is just get it done and then tell people why it's a good thing we're doing it."
Birmingham needs to stop seeing "dome" as a four-letter word, Hallman said.

"Right now we are turning down a number of conventions and trade shows because we have nowhere for them to go," Hallman said. "It's shocking the number of associations that exist out there that need a place for their convention or trade show. They need to be able to make Birmingham their destination."
The BJCC does currently have to turn away potential business due to commitments to other meetings and events, confirmed Tad Snider, Executive Director and CEO of the BJCC in an e-mail message to AL.com.

That confirms what I and others believe, so let's get crackin'.

[raj kapoor]

It will be done because it is the wise economic and business decision. It will be done for the same reason the BJCC was built; it is a component of infrastructure that the city sorely needs. And last, it will be done because without business growth, cities must rely on the citizens, through various taxes and fees, to pay the cost of running the cities and providing services to said citizens.

Other cities have long proven that it is wise to remain competitive. Birmingham proved it for the past forty years with the BJCC. It is past time to move forward and grow our opportunities and financial resources.

[wetdawg]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

It will be done because it is the wise economic and business decision. It will be done for the same reason the BJCC was built; it is a component of infrastructure that the city sorely needs. And last, it will be done because without business growth, cities must rely on the citizens, through various taxes and fees, to pay the cost of running the cities and providing services to said citizens.

Other cities have long proven that it is wise to remain competitive. Birmingham proved it for the past forty years with the BJCC. It is past time to move forward and grow our opportunities and financial resources.

Amen preach it. I have said for years this needs to be done. I'm glad that it is going to happen.

I have had several people say to me why didn't they keep up Legion Field? I tell them because what they really need it for isn't football game it is for conventions, and playing football and other sporting events there is a plus. Just to build the dome to replace the rundown stadium is kind of stupid. you can build a new open air stadium cheaper that a dome.

[NoleFanHSV]

Doing stuff without public approval usually is problem come election time.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by NoleFanHSV

Doing stuff without public approval usually is problem come election time.

Actually the voters in the city are in full support of this project. This project is going off the ground because the city decided to go it alone without the request of county help, although it should be forth coming.

(they have been polled more than once) The tough talk is for a very few out in the suburbs that think they should have an opinion without a contribution. It is no longer 1997.

[raj kapoor]

Originally Posted by wetdawg

Amen preach it. I have said for years this needs to be done. I'm glad that it is going to happen.

I have had several people say to me why didn't they keep up Legion Field? I tell them because what they really need it for isn't football game it is for conventions, and playing football and other sporting events there is a plus. Just to build the dome to replace the rundown stadium is kind of stupid. you can build a new open air stadium cheaper that a dome.

Some people can't understand that message. They focus on football, and fail to see it is the other 350 days a year that requires a roof to make money using the building. The other sports uses are perks.

[Tourian]

The city, the county, the state should all be behind this. The dissenters generally come from areas outside the city limits like Raj has said, they just don't want to see Birmingham improve itself. The state needs a facility like this near its biggest airport in its biggest city to help sell the region and the state when it comes time to recruit job creators and industry.

[bhamoutlook]

Originally Posted by Tourian

The city, the county, the state should all be behind this. The dissenters generally come from areas outside the city limits like Raj has said, they just don't want to see Birmingham improve itself. The state needs a facility like this near its biggest airport in its biggest city to help sell the region and the state when it comes time to recruit job creators and industry.

It's always amazing to me that said suburban people have such a negative opinion of downtown Birmingham without ever stepping a foot down here. I have people in the suburbs all the time who tell me, "Oooh, I don't go downtown. It isn't safe. I haven't been there in two years." Well how would you know if it's safe or not?

Anyway, the dome is another example of this. You don't have to live in the city to be a part of the conversation but you do have to contribute to the city in some way... Work downtown, eat downtown, go to a Barons game?

Anyone who is truly involved in the city of Birmingham in some way want this dome, the DNC, World Games or any other idea that may seem crazy to a lot of people. Even if we don't get the DNC, the coverage from this has already been worth the money spent in my opinion.

[bhamoutlook]

Originally Posted by raj kapoor

Some people can't understand that message. They focus on football, and fail to see it is the other 350 days a year that requires a roof to make money using the building. The other sports uses are perks.

And you both are right... The DNC is a prime example of this. How much more confident would everyone be about it right now had the dome already been built and probably more hotels to go with that?

The sports team is only secondary and honestly I think we may have a pretty good chance of getting some type of sports in there once it's built. We do have an excellent tv market for football and basketball.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by urbanspacesbham

We do have an excellent tv market for football and basketball.

Yeah really. Our TV market is bigger then Vegas, OKC, Jacksonville, Memphis, New Orleans, and Buffalo and all are Alabamians. We should have had this done already so as not to lose SEC basketball to Nashville and Charlotte and we need to do it, to make sure SEC media days for football stays here. And go after post season play for both basketball and football.