CAMPAIGN TO "SAVE OUR STADIUMS" KICKS OFF

Feb 23, 2006, 2:05:03 PM

The citizens committee known as “Save Our Stadiums” kicked off its campaign today to pass a 3/8 cent sales tax in Jackson County, Missouri that would partially fund the comprehensive modernization of the Truman Sports Complex’s Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums. The sales tax would supplement financial contributions from the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals, along with tax credits from the State of Missouri made available for that purpose. In another measure, voters will have the opportunity to approve a Use Tax that would be used to construct a Rolling Roof which would move on rails, covering either stadium, or the area between the two stadiums. The vote will go before the voters of Jackson County on April 4, 2006.

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Community leaders from across Jackson County attended the kick-off event in Independence today including Jackson County Executive Katheryn Shields, Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt, Royals Senior Vice President Mark Gorris and mayors, county officials, business and labor leaders from throughout the county.

The following were remarks made by Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt on that occasion and were followed by a question-and-answer period with local media.

LAMAR HUNT: “Mine is a Kansas City association that has covered 43 years, or approximately 870 football games – some of which I wished I’d missed. During the last 34 years the home games have taken place at Arrowhead Stadium and I very well remember the first game. I believe the date was August 12, 1972 – a pre-season game against the then-St. Louis Cardinals. It was a day in which Kansas City firmly established itself as a community with extraordinary vision from a public facility standpoint. That’s what these stadiums are: public facilities. They are not just baseball stadiums or football stadiums.

“The architects and engineers that worked on that project all those years ago really did an exceptional job in the context of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s planning. I think it’s important today – and very important on April 4 – for both Kauffman and Arrowhead to be brought into the 21st century.

“In November the National Football League took the exceptional initiative – and I can tell you it was really exceptional – when they awarded Kansas City a conditional Super Bowl based on the passage of the Rolling Roof and also obviously its weather-protected features and, on the (ballot) “Issue 1” matter as well. That Super Bowl will be played in a ten-year window between 2012 and 2021 at a date selection of the League.

“Just as Jackson County stepped up in 1968 to build the Sports Complex – and by way, at that time these twin stadiums required only a 2/3rd majority vote – the community now has the opportunity to again do the exceptional and vote in favor of both “Issue 1” and “Issue 2.” Frankly, that would assure Kansas City’s sports future beyond any reasonable short term conjecture that might have been suggested. Unlike that vote all those years ago, these two votes only require a simple majority.

“Our organization has recently asked the NFL membership for a date specific year for Kansas City’s Super Bowl, and we would expect to know that date by next week. We are optimistic that it will be approved.

“It is now 39 days and counting (until the April vote) until the end of this campaign and anybody hearing or seeing my comments know we are supporters of this referendum. The Chiefs organization has pledged and invested a lot of money both in “Issue 1” and “Issue 2” improvements. It’s a rare, rare opportunity and I urge everyone to come together and make it happen.”

Q: How do you feel about where you are in this campaign?

HUNT: “I feel very confident about the whole thing, but it’s obviously dependent on the vote.”

Q: Financially, how much money will the Chiefs donate to the campaign?

HUNT: “We donated $800,000 to the campaign. I don’t know whether that’s a public number or not, but you asked.”

Q: How important is the Rolling Roof to you personally? You have been an advocate for it for 36 years.

HUNT: “I think it’s tremendously important because it speaks to the future of the Sports Complex in Kansas City. It puts Kansas City in a league of its own; there is no other facility in the world that has the capabilities of this roof and I think that’s recognized by the National Football League with their award of a future Super Bowl. That’s an extraordinary gesture by the NFL. Is it designed to help the thing pass? Sure it is, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a dreamer’s goal to be the best and certainly the Chiefs and Kansas City should be the best and this puts us there.”

Q: If “Issue 1” passes and “Issue 2” doesn’t you wouldn’t be entirely happy but where will you stand?

HUNT: “We’ll obviously live with what the public votes for. They could go the other way, too, with “Issue 2” passing and “Issue 1” not. But the Roof can’t happen without “Issue 1’s” passage. The priority is “Issue 1” because that refurbishes and remodels, transforms the stadiums into 21st century stadiums. The Roof may take it to the 22nd century.”

Q: What would you say to critics who say the Chiefs have not put in enough money particularly compared to how much other teams have put in?

HUNT: “Kansas City is a market into itself and not one of the major media markets in the country. We put in and negotiated in good faith over a period of many months and years what we felt could be done and it’s a very substantial amount of money. I think it’s $75 million dollars into the “Issue 1” remodeling and the Roof itself is maybe another $25 or $30 million as a separate issue, although that’s not been totally resolved; but we’ve indicated we would do that.”

Q: Another $20 million to $30 million for the Rolling Roof?

HUNT: “Right.”

Q: So the rest will be made up by the teams for the Rolling Roof?

HUNT: “That’s approximately right as far as I understand.”

Q: Are naming rights still a possibility for the Roof?

HUNT: “Well, they would be, sure. But that’s conjecture. First, it’s got to happen because you don’t really talk about naming rights until something happens.”

Q: You’ve not liked the naming rights part of it, leaving Arrowhead Stadium as Arrowhead Stadium. How would you feel about naming the Roof?

HUNT: “The Roof clearly could have a separate name because it’s a brand new structure. I would feel differently on Arrowhead and I think any potential naming rights sponsor possibly would want to retain the name Arrowhead much like they did in Denver.”

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Related:
Kansas City Awarded Super Bowl