Kirby Jackson Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I believe you, and strongly suspect you are nowhere near alone. I also understand what you mean, but civic pride in a team that loses every game every year is an interesting concept Ha ha, it would be trying for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yall Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I think a lot of people in the Buffalo area feel this way. Mainly because for them, their enjoyment is based more on being at the event than the quality of the team. Well that and the quality of something you don't have tends to be of little importance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 . I get what you are saying, what i was attempting to do was look at the possibility a little deeper than 'it could happen'. Yes it could happen, however i believe that the possibility of someone buying the team and keeping them in Buffalo is far greater. Not because i would like that to happen but because it makes much more sense financially to happen. I agree with you that the chances for the team remaining in the area increased once the terms of the lease were made public. In addition serious bidders such as Golisano and Pegula made it apparent that they were seriously interested in purchasing the franchise. The way the lease was structured it tilted the economics of the purchase toward keeping the team local. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 That's true, we don't know the fine details. But the way it's structured with a 3/4 vote of approval required among the voting trustees, the punitive nature of the lease vis a vis someone looking to move them, and Mr. Wilson's vehement stance against franchise relocation, certainly seems to support the idea that a local owner is preferred. A prospective local owner certainly can't lowball the offer, but it's easy to believe a local owner that's in the ballpark has an edge. GO BILLS!!! You very much know that I have been a harsh critic of Ralph Wilson from a football standpoint. But to be fair to him the way the lease was structured and the way the trustee vote was set up it tilted the balance toward keeping the franchise in the region. (As you stated.) It's my opinion that Ralph Wilson isn't the most astue football person. On the other hand he is a wily if not brlliant business person. He protected his interests yet he worked out a deal that dramatically increased the chances that the franchise will remain in the area. For that he should be saluted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 You very much know that I have been a harsh critic of Ralph Wilson from a football standpoint. But to be fair to him the way the lease was structured and the way the trustee vote was set up it tilted the balance toward keeping the franchise in the region. (As you stated.) It's my opinion that Ralph Wilson isn't the most astue football person. On the other hand he is a wily if not brlliant business person. He protected his interests yet he worked out a deal that dramatically increased the chances that the franchise will remain in the area. For that he should be saluted. Well said, John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillnutinHouston Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 You very much know that I have been a harsh critic of Ralph Wilson from a football standpoint. But to be fair to him the way the lease was structured and the way the trustee vote was set up it tilted the balance toward keeping the franchise in the region. (As you stated.) It's my opinion that Ralph Wilson isn't the most astue football person. On the other hand he is a wily if not brlliant business person. He protected his interests yet he worked out a deal that dramatically increased the chances that the franchise will remain in the area. For that he should be saluted. Agree! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerme1 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 How you do know what is in the trust? It has not been made public. That's my point. Until we know what exactly is in the trust none of us know. But my suspicion is that it will be weighted in our favor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnC Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 That's my point. Until we know what exactly is in the trust none of us know. But my suspicion is that it will be weighted in our favor. As others noted what we do know is that the way the lease was structured it favored keeping the franchise local. As K-9 indicated the way the trustee vote was configured it also did tilt the process toward keeping the franchise local. What I have brought up on this topic is that there is still some vulnerability to the area's team if a situation arises similar to the Clipper situation where a bidder dramatically overbids from a rational economic standpoint just for the sake of joining the exclusive ownership club. There are people who possess an unimaginable amount of money who simply don't care about western NY. What happens if a bidder with intentions to move the franchise bids in the $2.5 B range and the next highest local bidder is $1.25 B range? Are you sure who the trustees are going to select? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 That's my biggest (maybe my only) fear right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBILLSFAN Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'd say I am extremely confident based on what I know about the process that the Bills will remain in WNY. Lease, 3/4 vote from trustees and serious local bidders. My only fear, is the unknown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 There's a certain irony in a solar panel plant being built in one of the cloudiest regions of the country. Alex, I'll take "Irony" for $500 please... Silevo announced plans to move into the RiverBend facility on the former Republic Steel property in November. The company initially wanted to build a 200 megawatt production facility. Tuesday's announcement means the facility will have five times the capacity and produce almost three times the number of jobs, Rive said in an interview on Tuesday. http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/solarcity-just-acquired-silevo-and-became-a-solar-manufacturer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Alex, I'll take "Irony" for $500 please... Silevo announced plans to move into the RiverBend facility on the former Republic Steel property in November. The company initially wanted to build a 200 megawatt production facility. Tuesday's announcement means the facility will have five times the capacity and produce almost three times the number of jobs, Rive said in an interview on Tuesday. http://www.greentech...ar-manufacturer Why is it that everybody is going crazy about the environmental aspects of a stadium at the old Bethlehem Steel site, but there's this project moving right into the Republic Steel site? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 That's my biggest (maybe my only) fear right now. Spiders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Why is it that everybody is going crazy about the environmental aspects of a stadium at the old Bethlehem Steel site, but there's this project moving right into the Republic Steel site? The River Bend site has already been remediated and is shovel-ready... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 The River Bend site has already been remediated and is shovel-ready... Do you know how much that cost? It would seem to me that if they did it there, it would be very doable at Bethlehem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Do you know how much that cost? It would seem to me that if they did it there, it would be very doable at Bethlehem. According to the Snooze, remediation costs were $19 million over a five-year clean-up period: http://www.buffalonews.com/opinion/buffalo-news-editorials/high-tech-hub-benefits-from-work-brown-administration-began-in-2008-20131129 The Bethlehem Steel site is considerably larger and would likely take a decade to clean up, even if the money could be pried out of Washington (unlikely from a House appropriations standpoint). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 According to the Snooze, remediation costs were $19 million over a five-year clean-up period: http://www.buffalone...n-2008-20131129 The Bethlehem Steel site is considerably larger and would likely take a decade to clean up, even if the money could be pried out of Washington (unlikely from a House appropriations standpoint). Thanks. Do you know if any of this work has been done at Bethlehem? I know it looks way different than it used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Thanks. Do you know if any of this work has been done at Bethlehem? I know it looks way different than it used to. A portion of the site has been cleaned up, but only to industrial use standards. http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/lackawanna/steel-plant-is-showing-signs-of-life-in-lackawanna-20140226 Regardless, the biggest issue would appear to be time, not money. Getting a new stadium built on a site that requires that much remediation would be next to impossible by the end of the existing lease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrags Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Spiders? you mean like spiders on the field??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbb Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 A portion of the site has been cleaned up, but only to industrial use standards. http://www.buffalone...awanna-20140226 Regardless, the biggest issue would appear to be time, not money. Getting a new stadium built on a site that requires that much remediation would be next to impossible by the end of the existing lease. Got it - thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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