Soccer fans in Texas(URGENT!)

One of my close friends is a reporter for the McKinney Courier-Gazette. He'll be there (short, goofy-looking guy, balding, wearing suspenders. His name is Jeff West. If anybody who goes sees him, tell him I said hi. He'll think that's weird) since he's covering it. He told me that the issues that delayed the vote until today (they were going to vote last week) were more procedural than anything else. He didn't have any doubt that the soccer stadium would pass tonight.

But better to have too much support than not enough, eh? So, if you're nearby anybody, go ahead and go (though city council meetings can be BOR-RING!)

 

Well, I live very near McKinney, but I won't be (or didn't) go to this meeting because, frankly, I can't stand soccer.

 

City gives thumbs up to MLS soccer stadium

By JEFF WEST
McKinney Courier-Gazette (Jan. 29, 2002)
- A standing-room-only crowd gave the McKinney City Council a rare round of applause after the council approved going forward with plans for a soccer stadium Monday night.
Council Member Gabe Nesbitt, who acted as council liaison for the soccer project, read the motion written by City Attorney Mark Houser: “I would like to move that the City Council propose a financial package to Major League Soccer, Hunt Sports Group and Craig International where the city agrees to build a soccer stadium conditioned on their acceptance and commence negotiations with all parties both public and private for construction of the facility and infrastructure as soon as possible.”
Councilman Steve Bell seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.
The crowd, consisting of several members of the Dallas Burn, soccer parents and children among others, then gave their applause before filing out of the chamber and into the foyer. The crowd chattered excitedly until Police Chief Doug Kowalski asked them to quiet down so the council meeting could continue.
The council vote came just hours after the McKinney Community Development Corporation had voted to offer a revised, and publicly undisclosed, financial package for the stadium.
The MCDC had offered a package last week that the council had some problems with. Mayor-Pro-Tem Thad Helsley, Mayor Don Dozier and MCDC liaison Gabe Nesbitt were present at the MCDC meeting to ask and answer questions in a closed-door session.
While the city has agreed to offer to build the stadium, exact numbers were still not released to the public. Officials cite ongoing negotiations with MLS and the Hunt Sports Group as the reason for the lack of disclosure. The initital application from the city to the MCDC requested $30 million.
The city did release figures on total estimated costs of approximately $51 million to build the entire complex. A press release from the city this morning suggested the stadium construction itself would cost $35 million with land cost of about $5 million and roads, water and sewer adding another $10 million. Peripheral parking and landscaping will add another $1 million to the cost.
That cost would be borne by funds from Collin County, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) and possibly by MLS, the Hunt Sports Group and Craig International as well as the funds from the MCDC and the city of McKinney.
David Craig of Craig International has publicly stated that he will donate the land for the project which will be located at Alma Road and SH 121 near Craig Ranch and within walking distance of the PGA Golf Course that is being constructed. The county had money set back from a 1999 bond election dedicated to McKinney projects, according to the city. NCTCOG awarded grants for infrastructure to support the Regional Employment Center, in which Craig Ranch is located.
According to the city, building the stadium and related infrastructure will generate $63 million in economic activity and will create more than 500 temporary full-time jobs, paying more than $20 million. Hunt Sports Group estimates full-time stadium-related positions of 12-15 persons, with an annual payroll of approximately $650,000.
In addition, Hunt estimates 200-250 part-time jobs will be needed for events, with annual payroll of more than $600,000. The city also said that over half a million people would attend events at the stadium, 80 percent from outside McKinney, creating $28 million in economic activity.
Besides Dallas Burn home games, the stadium would also be used for other events, although those would be under the control of the Dallas Burn and its operators; some days would be set aside in the lease for community/civic uses, the city said.
In answer to some questions raised about the financial package and the stadium, the city said that no money from the bond package now being voted on will be used to pay for the stadium and that building the stadium would not raise taxes. The MCDC portion would be paid by part of the half-cent sales tax which would repay bonds that would be sold to finance the construction. The city’s portion would be paid by lease payments, impact fees and anticipated increased sales taxes from the stadium and related businesses.
The project includes a 20,000 seat soccer-specific stadium and two practice fields for the Burn, but does not include any youth soccer fields as some McKinney soccer fans hoped. The county had earlier proposed building 25-30 fields in a complex with a soccer stadium but no decision or funding for that project has been made.