Fw: [Mpls] Fw: stadium

[James E Jacobsen]

----- Original Message ----- From: James E Jacobsen To: Mark Engebretson Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 4:57 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Fw: stadium            As bank teller, I used to take deposits from Harmon Killebrew, also Camillo Pascual and all the others.             There always is a great excitement around the team when they are doing well, packing the stadium and with huge concession sales.             I think you could take the chronological view of the #494 'strip' through Bloomington/Edina in its development starting in the Fifties and as it got into the Sixties and onward, first the freeway, then all the hotels and such that built up there.  Of course that era coincided with the entre of jets at the airport, but then a percentage of the jet traffic passengers were team and game or stadium related.             I would say that the teams were definite build up factor for that part of town, and Bloomington fought hard to avoid loosing the stadium when it came to transition downtown and sought and got the Mall of America to replace it.             I think the restaurant tax and some of the rental car tax is a valid point, and I doubt that revenue is needed to pay off the stadium bonds.           What I (and the public) haven't seen is a budget which details all the stadium revenue the past five years, from which to work up future stadium budgets, and would give the real basis for valid discussion in place of all this street chitter chatter.           If you guys just don't like professional sports you should just say so and not try to make the economic story look bad for prospects of a stadium.  I can respect a person making a their own respectable statement about what they like and don't like.            But if because you don't like the sports, you try to build a big negative reality about, then I do have a problem with that.                                 James E Jacobsen           'Whittier'   ----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Engebretson To: James E Jacobsen Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 3:31 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Fw: stadium James, We're probably not going to agree, but to me, you're providing simply another anecdote--not conclusive evidence. People spend money. If the team leaves, they'll spend it on something else, most likely in our state. You can argue that the Excel Center helps downtown St. Paul, but no one has provided any evidence that it benefits the state as a whole. Show me the study--you still haven't cited a legitimate economic study that shows a link between professional sports and a healthy economy. No one has. As for tax revenue--it's peanuts compared to what the state collects overall--and it sets a bad precedent to say that we'll build you a stadium because otherwise we'll lose your income tax revenue. What if 3M made the same threat? Or Lawson? Or Sun Country? In fact, the state probably would do better--and save more jobs--to bail out Sun Country. This is the same thinking that has led to the abuse of tax-increment financing. As for construction costs, I think the money would be better spent on other deserving public projects. There isn't exactly a surplus of capital funds. As for national pastime, I doubt many Minnesotans would really miss the sport. And this comes from someone who worshipped Harmon Killebrew. At 02:41 PM 2/20/02, you wrote: As teller at bank that had the stadium accounts, I personally worked at the stadium counting money for the concessions. You can count that by the rooms full.  And of course the money went to pay bills. The stadium construction, in hundreds of millions makes for lots of payroll and that supports the economy, pays huge taxes of all kinds.  The stadium revenue, which -everyone seems to discount altogether- accounts for hundreds of millions per year, and again which is spent on payroll, and other expenses centered in its locale, which is here.       ----- Original Message ----- From: Mark Engebretson To: James E Jacobsen Sent: Wednesday, February 20, 2002 2:23 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Fw: stadium James, I have yet to see a study that shows significant economic benefits to the state from professional sports. Thus far, only anecdotes. If you have seen such a study, or have evidence of such benefit, please share it. Mark Engebretson