OK, here is the first non-JAVA GOGO related post. Jackson County residents vote Tuesday on a sales tax that will fund rennovations to Arrowhead Stadium and Kaufmann Stadium, homes of the Chiefs and Royals and another one to fund a rolling roof that will cover both stadiums. I have decided to vote yes. Here are my reasons.
1. Having major league teams in KC keeps us a major league market. This impacts consumers willing to move here and businesses willing to locate here.
2. The vast majority of stadiums in the US are supported by public funding. There is no reason to think that KC would be any different. If we want major league teams here, we need to pony up.
3. Jackson County is currently in violation of its leases and without funding renovations, the teams are legally allowed to become free agents if they want to look outside of KC. Passing this tax means we are 100% sure to keep the teams here. If the tax doesn't pass, someone might come up with another way to keep the teams here, but this is NOT a sure thing. It's a gamble.
4. Some opponents of the tax want new stadiums (including a baseball stadium downtown) rather than rennovating the current ones. I originally agreed with them. Downtown baseball sounds great to me. But the team owners are on record as saying they don't want that. So if we don't pass the tax, there is no guarantee that a downtown ballpark will be on the table.
Plus, the renovation plans look very impressive. Modernizing the existing stadiums will make them state-of-the-art without getting rid of the designs that people already know and love--the fountains of Kaufmann, the sight lines of Arrowhead. Our stadiums would be unique from all the other new ballparks and stadiums--let's face it, some of them are as "cookie-cutter" as all the ones built in the 60s. And no one will have the rolling roof that is on the table. That thing will be off the hook!
5. Superbowl and MLB All Star Game in Kansas City. Sign me up.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment