[Calvinist]

Originally Posted by Bosco55David

I'm all for it, but you'd have to convince the state to change the law again.

Maybe initially, but then you still have a deteriorating structure that would need more work in the coming years. How much money are you willing to spend to keep applying band-aids to Rosenblatt when you could just build a brand new stadium?

Rosenblatt simply outgrew itself and it wasn't feasible to keep adding to it anymore. If you're a car guy, you saw something similar happen in the mid-late 90's when Ford phased out their old pushrod engines in favor of the modular engines. After decades of use, it was simply easier to start with a clean slate than it was to keep trying to tack things onto the old engine.

Of course it's also worth mentioning that TDA Park isn't even finished yet and it's already spurned more development than Rosenblatt did in 62 years.

So do it in 10 years when we're hopefully over the money crisis we're in now. It's that simple, really. Does it really make sense to build a new stadium in NoDO? They were freaking out a month or two ago when there was a big convention down there...just imagine having CWS traffic in addition to a big convention, or even the swim trials there.

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by Calvinist

So do it in 10 years when we're hopefully over the money crisis we're in now. It's that simple, really.

10 years doesn't work. We needed it done when they decided to do it.

You also must have missed my post where I mentioned that none of our general fund money to date has gone towards the new stadium.

Does it really make sense to build a new stadium in NoDO?

Absolutely.

They were freaking out a month or two ago when there was a big convention down there...just imagine having CWS traffic in addition to a big convention, or even the swim trials there.

Hence the push for a street car system that would allow us to ferry in people from different parts of town rather than have them all try cramming their cars into downtown surface parking lots.

[Calvinist]

Originally Posted by Bosco55David

10 years doesn't work. We needed it done when they decided to do it.

That simply is not true. We could have easily renovated and easily kept the CWS another 10 years...and then another 10....

You also must have missed my post where I mentioned that none of our general fund money to date has gone towards the new stadium.

Why are people complaining about it then?

Absolutely.

Hence the push for a street car system that would allow us to ferry in people from different parts of town rather than have them all try cramming their cars into downtown surface parking lots.

And $1 million to "study" whether we need it or not? Really?

It's bad enough traffic enough...why street cars to take up more space on the roads?

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by Calvinist

That simply is not true. We could have easily renovated and easily kept the CWS another 10 years...and then another 10....[

And then you add those renovation costs onto the costs of the new stadium and you still don't get the security of the CWS contract.

I fail to see how that's even remotely a good idea.

Why are people complaining about it then?

Because just like on the national level, it's a very vocal minority of people who are apparently too stupid to spend the small amount of time it would take to actually look into the issue, so they have blowhards like Stothert, Becka and Nabity tell them how to think.

And $1 million to "study" whether we need it or not? Really?

I agree here. We've studied it enough already, we just need to get the damn thing DONE.

That said, since most of the money would be coming from the feds, you gotta jump through their hoops.

It's bad enough traffic enough...why street cars to take up more space on the roads?

Huh? Streetcars take up about the same amount of space as a couple cars and carry a helluva lot more people.

[midwestpilot]

Originally Posted by Calvinist

That simply is not true. We could have easily renovated and easily kept the CWS another 10 years...and then another 10....

Don't forget about the other big tourist attraction that has an interest in the Blatt leaving...the zoo. The zoo needed the Blatt gone, plain and simple. In order for the Zoo to grow it needed more land but the stadium got in the way. With the stadium gone the zoo has more opportunities to grow through the space where the stadium was and the ability to buy other property near the zoo whose prices were over inflated just because the stadium was there.

I would also say that I think the NCAA put Omaha over the coals in the negotiations. There are several cities that would love to have the CWS in their community and NCAA knew it and used it to their advantage.

Edit: Wording

[pheaton]

Yeah. . The NCAA really held all of the cards on this one. What if we renovated Rosenblatt and 2 years from now some other city offers the NCAA a brand new venue to bring the series there. It wasn't about just doing the bare minimum to keep the series around a couple more years it was about securing the future of the series in Omaha for decades to come. The NCAA wanted a new stadium, not a renovated one and they put the pressure on and won.

[pheaton]

There is a guy going for a recall of Suttle. .

Omaha Man Seeks Recall Of Mayor Suttle - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha (http://www.ketv.com/news/24343095/detail.html - broken link)

I bet he can't get the signatures. It would be interesting if he does though..

[pheaton]

Another side to the increased wheel tax. Business owners are already talking about parking some fleet vehicles because the extra cost will too much of a burden. Way to kill business and hurt the tax payer!

[McBain II]

Originally Posted by pheaton

There is a guy going for a recall of Suttle. .

Omaha Man Seeks Recall Of Mayor Suttle - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha (http://www.ketv.com/news/24343095/detail.html - broken link)

I bet he can't get the signatures. It would be interesting if he does though..

This guy is an idiot. He started the recall talks when Suttle had barely been in office for two months all because the Florence Library was supposed to be closed. Suttle turns around and agrees to keep the library open and now the guy wants to recall him because of the higher taxes.

I found this line particularly telling...

He said he understands there has to be cuts, but he does not want them in his neighborhood.

Librarians Look For Logic In Latest Budget Casualty - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha (http://www.ketv.com/news/20356210/detail.html - broken link)

[billiefan2000]

Originally Posted by pheaton

There is a guy going for a recall of Suttle. .

Omaha Man Seeks Recall Of Mayor Suttle - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha (http://www.ketv.com/news/24343095/detail.html - broken link)

I bet he can't get the signatures. It would be interesting if he does though..

he might


Omahans Against Suttle's Entertainment Tax | Facebook (//www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=255001820234 - broken link)

and:

Movement to Impeach Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle | Facebook

are 2 anti-suttle groups on facebook