Rays president asks business leaders for help sellion stadium/redevelopment plan

TAMPA — Tampa Bay Rays president Matt Silverman this morning called on business leaders to rally behind the team’s two-pronged plan to redevelop Tropicana Field and construct a new $450-million stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.

“It’s a story that the Rays can’t be left to tell ourselves,” Silverman told about 125 business leaders at a Tampa Bay Business Journal breakfast at the Centre Club in Tampa. “The silence from the business community has been noticed,” Silverman said. “Your voices must be heard.”

Silverman said the two projects in total could represent $1.2-billion in new development in downtown St. Petersburg, producing 10,000 construction jobs and thousands of new permanent jobs.

The St. Petersburg City Council is expected on Thursday to consider a first of three necessary votes to schedule a November citywide referendum on the plan.

“The political community is looking to hear the opinions of its constituents,” Silverman said. “Right now, it’s hearing primarily from people with red (anti-stadium) signs in their yard.”

(Here's the business journal's take from today's breakfast)

Comments

[Kyle]

First

[Professor]

Finally, Silverman makes an overdue appeal.

[Kyle]

Desperate times, desperate measures.

[JudyToo]

There are not "10,000 construction jobs." All three developers made it quite clear that they are quoting "job years."

That means up to 1,000 jobs PER YEAR for ten years IF all their PROJECTIONS turn into reality.

They are scared. They know this ain't gonna fly.

[LOL @ Rick K]

Do I hear a fat lady singing? Oh, nevermind, that's just Rick K whining.

[Jerry]

Awful hot out today, eh? Humid, too.

[Rick K]

I do not pretend to know how this will all sort out. I have no idea if the Rays proposals will survive to November, and I have even less of an idea about how the Citizens of St. Pete will vote, come then.

Which is why I find it hilarious that the likes of "JudyToo" and "LOL @ Rick K" think these latest posts by Aaron improve the chances that the opposition will prevail.

JudyToo makes a meaningless distinction. 10,000 construction jobs is the total for both the Trop field redevelopment AND the new stadium. That's right folks, 10,000 construction workers in downtown.

That JudyToo thinks the Rays are scared and think their projections aren't going to fly tells us much about JudyToo, but little about what is really going on.

What is really going on is that the Rays just greatly strengthened their hand.

[Ray F]

Jerry,

The weather is not an argument. There are 12 teams listed on the FSL website that play every single game of their season in the Florida weather. Not to mention countless college and highschool teams. Lets bring in the college softball teams while we're at it since they play in the same conditions.

Baseball was meant to be played outside. Period. If you can't stand Florida weather than obviously, you don't care about the parkland issue either since that requires a lot more sun tolerance than a 7:10pm baseball game where the sun will be nearly set and the shadow from the grandstands would envelope the stadium.

But that point is lost on you right???

[Rays Mike]

So 1,000 construction jobs won't help in this struggling economy??

[Jerry]

No, I just said it's hot out. Why so defensive? Usually a sign of fear, no?

[Ray F]

Well, I think the comment should be in a weather blog rather than this one if your goal wasn't to allude that it would be hot to play baseball???

[Already Smart]

POWWsers - Let me ask again on this chain because I cannot seem to get an answer from anyone else - what do we do with the Trop and Al Lang when the Rays move to another state? The Rays have not said that they would move out of the state, but let’s assume that the waterfront stadium is shot down in November – the Rays will try again in 2010 – and let’s assume that fails as well. So, what do we, as citizens of St. Pete, going to do with the Trop and Al Lang then? Just curious. And who will pay for it? As I’ve said before, it is likely that most of the old fart POWWsers won’t be around in 2012, so maybe approach this question as though you would in fact be alive in 2012 and would have to live with two abandoned ballparks. POWWsers are inherently short-sighted, so this is going to be a stretch for most of you – so just try your best to answer both questions – What will we do with two abandoned ballparks, and who will pay for the conversions (if any – I guess I am assuming that we do not want the world’s largest home expo every weekend at the Trop).

[NO NEW STADIUM]

11:31

The Rays aren't going anywhere.

To answer your hypothetical question;

We lure another spring training/grapefruit league team to Al Lang, or we could tear it down & build a park like we already said we'd do. We have one of the finest Saturday morning markets in the country. It too needs a new home.

As for the Trop, it functioned for 8 years before baseball, we can make it funtion for another 20 without baseball. Or we could tear it down, sell the land to a developer and redevelop that property ourselves and put it back on the tax rolls which would exponentially offset the new costs to maintain Al Lang as a spring training site or parkland.

This city did just fine for 100 years without MLB, and the argument that we'll all wither and die if they go away is flat absurd.

[Already Smart]

'The Rays aren't going anywhere' Nice statement of fact and well supported arguement. Actually that does suffice as an arguement for POWW.

No team would come to Al Lang - new modern spring training stadiums are being built in Arizona already that are taking teams from Florida every year. no team would move into Al Lang when there is an option of a larger more modern facility being offered somewhere else.

[Kyle]

What are they going to do with the Busch Complex (RAY N.)?

[Lakeland Guy]

Again let me state that I could care less if the Rays stay in the Trop or move to a new stadium. I don't live in St. Pete so I have no say in it anyways.

My sister and her husband live in St. Pete and have one of the blue "Let's Build It!" signs in their yard. My brother-in-law sees a woman come from across the street, grab their sign, and run off with it. He tracks her down while he has the police on his cell and by the time he gets to her the police already have the woman detained. Turns out she's a law professor at Stetson. I have no idea if she's a member of POWW and I was skeptical when I first heard stories of this happening.

Being someone on the outside looking in, it appears as if POWW and their supporters do not want a level playing field. As Already-Smart stated above, it will be a big burden on the City and it's Tax Payers if/when the Rays move out and you're stuck with the bill on two sites.

[Ray F]

NO NEW,

You are one of the few who would say the Trop functioned fine before MLB. Let's scrape the bottom and say, at worst the Rays attract 12,000 fans for all their games. That's 972,000 bodies through the gates over the course of 81 games. Of course their average is about 17,000 but for sake of argument...

What did the Trop do for 8 years to attract 972,000 people EVERY YEAR??? Hockey? Tractor pulls? Richard Simmons Seminars? Arena Football? 1 Final Four? Exhibition basketball?

Come on... you gotta be kidding me to say the Trop was fine before baseball. Or St Pete for that matter.

And kiss baseball goodbye, because if Bud Selig has anything to say- If St Pete and Tampa Bay fails to keep the Rays, MLB will never step foot in St Pete again. I would bet the farm on that sister.

For 20 years we tried to convince MLB that we were ready for the bigs and Bud Selig was instrumental in advancing our quest for the Bigs.

Everytime I walk through the Baywalk parking garage hallway I see the St Pete Times front page that exclaims "WE GOT IT".

I can't wait to see the headline that says "WE HAD IT".

[Ray F]

Lakeland Guy,

As Pro-Stadium as I am, I still haven't witnessed any theft of signs in my neighborhood. The same 10 people have the same 10 or so signs.

The only thing I did see was a blue sign painted over with a red circle with a line through it that reappeared a couple days later as a new blue sign. I assume that was vandalism, but I didn't witness it.

Maybe I live in a more civil neighborhood.

[NO NEW STADIUM]

Ray F, your opinion and my opinion cancel each other out, so what difference does it make? You're right, I'm wrong. I get it.

But the best part of all for me is the fact that you'll "get it" if the voters get a chance to speak on this, I assure you. I just wish I could see the look on you and Rick K's faces if that day comes.

[Kyle]

Marlins=threats. Marlins=Miami. Marlins+threats. Marlins+Miami.
Same gig there. Status quo for years.

[Lakeland Guy]

Ray F,

The live off Coffe Pot in a very nice area. The are near some island that I don't know the name of. What makes it worse was that it wasn't some kids or anything, but a law professor. Nothing happened to her and he didn't press charges, but it's amazing how even the most educated of us all will resort to criminal acts if someone does not agree with their point of view.

[Ray F]

NO NEW<

Let me digress by admitting that your opinion is no better or worse than mine. That's the beauty of opinions and I've said in the past that if the Stadium plan doesn't go through-

"The world will still rotate, gas will still be 4 dollars, and Linus will still wait for the Great Pumpkin next Halloween."

If anything, you guys will have one less person to worry about on US19 because without MLB, there's no reason for a lot of people to stay in this town. It doesn't matter to you or the next person. I'm just a face in the stands who's there or not, but I'll leave knowing that this town had no progressive ambitions and never look back.

Maybe I'll still visit and pay the bed tax that will be providing you guys with Tractor Pulls and Boat Shows.

[Ray F]

Lakeland,

Very sad indeed.

[Thomas]

Mr. "Already" Smart,

I am not affiliated with POWW, but I'll go ahead and answer your question anyway.

- First I love the animosity you pose the question with. It seems like you believe that you have stumbled onto some smoking gun that renders opposition dumbfounded. Ironically, you label yourself "already smart". Let's begin:

"what do we do with the Trop when the Rays move to another state?"

The redevelopment plan for the Trop is not contingent upon building a new stadium with the proceeds.
Get it Smarty Pants? The same exact bids, the same exact developers would still want to redevelop the site.
The only difference is that instead of the city turning around and giving the money made to the Rays, the city would keep it.
That's so cute - you really thought that if the Rays leave then Hines or the other developers would bail on their proposal.

"what do we do with the Al Lang when the Rays move to another state?"

You could do a myriad of things. I personally would suggest using a few million made from the Trop redevelopment - not the $450M the Rays wanted - and turning Al Lang into a multi-use park/recreation/open space area. Citizens could enjoy free use of a park at the waterfront.

"POWWsers are inherently short-sighted, so this is going to be a stretch for most of you"
Uh-huh. Well done. You can leave now Stupid. I think you've made a big enough fool of yourself.

Bye!

[Rick K]

Thomas, what study indicates that the existing offers (which are based, in part upon the Rays being in downtown St Pete) will still be valid if the Rays are not in St. Pete?

Let me see if I get this? You are certain (without doubt) that the economic climate in St. Pete will be at least as good in 2012 as it is now?

Yet, you fear these proposals because the economy might be worse?

Or did I miss one of your glaring inconsistencies?