Deseret News | Reader comments: Soccer stadium funding hits a snag

Reader comments
Soccer stadium funding hits a snag

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More Fumbling | 1:35 a.m. April 30, 2008

Whoo Hooo!
Another Boondoggle!
Monkees I tell ya!

Oscar | 3:02 a.m. April 30, 2008

Leave it to Corroon....

Bee | 5:31 a.m. April 30, 2008

Why do we need to support a sport that is failing and floundering?

Comments continue below

Morgan | 7:18 a.m. April 30, 2008

If the Sandy executives really wants to fund the stadium, maybe they should start by contributing their excessive bonuses and repay the $money$ they wasted on the legal fight to keep their misuse of public funds a secret.

Surprised | 7:20 a.m. April 30, 2008

What a shocker!

Right | 7:23 a.m. April 30, 2008

This is still soccer right?

NO ONE CARES!!!

(Except keep your grubby hands off of my tax money!)

Anonymous | 7:32 a.m. April 30, 2008

Whos the State gonna force to cough up the dough this time?

Uncle Sam | 7:34 a.m. April 30, 2008

Looks like somebody is finally starting to notice that big white elephant in the room. Hey, the economy's in the tank...let's build a soccer stadium with our tax dollars!

How about | 7:42 a.m. April 30, 2008

Dave Checketts pitch in a little bit of his OWN money since it is his OWN business!!!

I want my money back.

Non-Sandy resident | 7:58 a.m. April 30, 2008

Maybe Dolan, Sant and the other Sandy leaders can give their big bonuses to ReAL Salt Lake. That would be better than shafting county residents again.

uh huh | 7:58 a.m. April 30, 2008

Tax and spend, tax and spend...at least someone in this state is acting like an actual conservative.

Happy Homeowner | 8:01 a.m. April 30, 2008

I'm extremely glad I don't live in Salt Lake Valley!!!

dingo | 8:16 a.m. April 30, 2008

looks like someone understands the meaning of the term high risk investment and this soccer stadium is high risk to the extreme. i believe NO public money should be used to build this white elephant. this needs to be a private deal start to finish. the tax payers need not be stuck in the quick sand that is soccer.

Attention, Attention ... | 8:24 a.m. April 30, 2008

All soccer-haters, CAVEs (Citizens Against Virtually Everything), & the like. Now is your chance to post about:
How bad this idea was, is & will be.
How the government is wasting "Your" money.
How only the rich will become richer off the backs of the poor, overworked, underpaid, middle-aged working man/woman.
How your childrens education will suffer & they will grow-up not being able to read, write or carry on a coherent intelligent conversation.
How this is all a subversive effort to make Americans like/accept soccer.

Please blog something, I need a good laugh today.

Anonymous | 8:27 a.m. April 30, 2008

We have some of the most inept politicians!

Anonymous | 8:34 a.m. April 30, 2008

Sandy and the stadium will get the money. Just in a different way. The county plans to continue paying a subsidy to Sandy for its amphitheater that was scheduled to end this year. Sandy can then shift other money in its budget towards the soccer stadium.

Kip Adderly | 8:36 a.m. April 30, 2008

Coroon reminds me of a dog in high oats...utterly lost.

DH | 8:42 a.m. April 30, 2008

Because it's not a sport.

davecheckettsscam | 8:47 a.m. April 30, 2008

Good for Mayor Caroon. This is a complete and total waste of taxpayer dollars. The biz plan checketts advanced was so full of holes, and rosy projections, that it looks like a Utah-county pyramid marketing scheme.

rabble | 8:48 a.m. April 30, 2008

Sandy and the state legislature dragged Salt Lake County against their will into this project. The county has met their commitment (forced to do so) and now Sandy wants the county to pay Sandy's share too.

It is outrageous that Sandy should now try to reduce their own commitment and asking anything more of the county is unreasonable.

Sandy wanted the stadium in their backyard and they should meet their obligations as promised.

re:bee | 8:53 a.m. April 30, 2008

I don't play soccer, and have never been to a Real game. Soccer is not failing. Volleyball and soocer clubs are the two biggest youth sports in the nation. I coach and played college baseball. I know this through recruiting, and recruiting services. This stadium was recently in an article featuring the newest and most beautiful stadiums around the world. I found it on Yahoo.
I will attend a few games every now and then when the stadium is complete. Did you know when Freddy Adu played here he drew an additional 10,000 fans? Can't imagine what David Beckham can bring! So, in short, your are out with all the other small minded Utahns with your statement who don't want a professional atmosphere here.

Rob | 8:57 a.m. April 30, 2008

Wow it sounds like "I ran out of money, you have to help me finish my multi million dollar project". Not many people wanted this in the first place so let them go and find private funding. QUIT using our tax money on something most Utahns will not be able to afford to go and watch. If we had money to spare for this wasteful project why are there so many people in Utah going without health care and insurance. Low income people have benefits cut in their medicade and medicare. Most of these people are not lazy people and do need help. Think of all the Habitat for Humanity homes that could have been built with this.

George Crandall | 9:03 a.m. April 30, 2008

I admire Mayor Corroon. It's refreshing to find someone in public office who looks to the public interest first. And I see no reason why a school district should be willing to forgo its share of public financing for a sports stadium. Where this will end, I don't know, but it is clear that at least one office holder and one set of school district officials have their priorities right.

Anonymous | 9:14 a.m. April 30, 2008

Another reason why I left Utah.

Go Away Checketts!!! | 9:18 a.m. April 30, 2008

There have been many studies that have shown the economic boost to a local economy from a professional sports team DOES NOT offset the local community giving tax breaks for the stadium. And these studies are all done the the three sports people actually watch (MLB, NFL, NBA)!

Anonymous | 9:18 a.m. April 30, 2008

what a bunch of whiners!

Yes- I trust sandy City! | 9:26 a.m. April 30, 2008

Is this the same Sandy City leadership that paid $38,000 to keep the facts about their bonus money out of the newspapers. Is this the same Sandy City that gives each of its 13 people leading the city a $7,000 BONUS EACH YEAR and the workers don't get squat. Heck yes I trust Dolan and his croonies to do the right thing. Raise the taxes to give to Checketts and certainly don't cut your BONUS money. Sandy City is the biggest joke in Utah. W. Jordan is close but I think they are going to vote their joke out.

Anonymous | 9:29 a.m. April 30, 2008

so, you left Utah because you did not want your tax dollars to help build the stadium? cool

This is sickening | 9:43 a.m. April 30, 2008

This is the most sickening thing done in Utah Gov in a long time. Utah state legislature goes around a wise decision of our SLCounty and MAKES us in SL County give $34 MILLION to a whinnnnney Tom Dolan for their soccer stadium.

I am so sick of Sandy and Tom Dolan in the ArmPitt of SLCity!

Get a life. Government should not be wasting our limited money on private soccer projects! Hotel tax monies? Yea that money comes from visitors but it is still OUR money to spend wisly not on TOM DOLAN!

King Me | 9:52 a.m. April 30, 2008

I agree sandy is a toilet. I'd rather have a beautiful new stadium that generates revenue, then all the wasted BS Caroon usually wastes my money on. Isn't he the bigger crook? Besides all of you won't miss your favorite event in the new stadium. You will also be the first people in line when Real starts winning. Give them a chance and don't be so afraid of your own shadows.

SLC TAXPAYERS | 10:30 a.m. April 30, 2008

Salt Lake City should give RSL their $7.5 Million back! Where are those soccer fields you voted for in 2003 Salt Lake Taxpayers. You voted for a property tax increase for $21 Million dollar soccer fields off of I-215. SLC told RSL they were $7.5 Million short. RSL gave them the money, and now SLC says they are $40 Million soccer fields. Where's all that money, and where are your soccer fields???

At least the State gets to keep 85% of the hotel tax, that exsists only because of RSL. It would have expired in 2011, because of the Salt Palace. But there were no complaints about the hotel tax for the Salt Palace Expansion, so why for a soccer stadium? What you should be asking, is where are your soccer fields that you voted for, and don't have?

Santa Clara supporter | 10:30 a.m. April 30, 2008

As a former resident of Sandy, I believe there is too much whinning. Remember Larry Miller when he tried hard to get financing to build his "Delta Center," now the ESA. Aren't Larry's enterprise(s) successful? He got incentives from local and state authorities, plus he went outside the country for additional financing.

I admire what Dave Checkettes is doing for the area and the State of Utah for bringing pro soccer to us. I feel we should do everything possible to make this happen, and maybe Dave will have to go outside the country for the balance of what he needs.
Give me a break, Mayor Coroon, you are the biggest whinner of all.

bubba | 10:38 a.m. April 30, 2008

TO Atttention, Attention:

You must work for Real or be part of the 1% of crazed peole who actually want pro soccer here at any cost.

I guess I don't need to say much of anything since you pretty much hit the nail on the head. Only thing is that you are either too ignorant or too "involved"
to know that the arguments are true.

Carron was correct to say it is a bad investment. NO public money should have been spent on this.

4 wrongs makes a right! | 10:51 a.m. April 30, 2008

The government should not have fully paid for Franklin Covey Field or the E Center. The government should not have subsidized the Toxic Waste Terrace at 3rd West & South Temple.

Sniffle Sniffle | 10:56 a.m. April 30, 2008

It's nice to see all the whiners come out to cry again.

First off, if people can't afford to go to a soccer game in Utah, then how come there are so many people paying more $ to go to the Jazz games, movie theaters, Zoo's, Speedway's, baseball games, football games, hockey games, etc...? There's obviously some discrecionary income floating around.

A few other ditties...

Checketts is spending plenty of his own cash on this project. Accusations that he's not just make you look dumb for saying so.

YOU DON'T DECIDE WHERE TAXES GET SPENT. I can't say I'm happy about that, but that's how it works. We elect people to office to make those decisions for us. They are elected to make decisions that they feel are the best for their constituents. In this case, the state trumped the county. If you're unhappy, you can elect someone new. And whoever is elected is who the people say they trust to make those decisions for us.

So keep right on crying that the entire state of Utah is being held hostage by a conniving Checketts and government. But remember that you, or more importantly the majority, elected them.

Loved 9:26 comments | 10:56 a.m. April 30, 2008

I live in Sandy and agree with this comment completely. King Dolan needs to go with the other 13. Read the article about the Bonus money in another newspaper and can not believe these folks got away with it. I thought Bonnie and Clyde died in the 30's. No- they are alive and living in the Sandy City offices! I'm sure Dolan will make it work out with Checketts?

biting the hand | 11:06 a.m. April 30, 2008

What Corron doesn't acknowledge is that the County didn't contribute anything to the stadium. Instead Sandy contributed $20 million to the County.

The TRT would not be there if it hadn't be extended specifically to fund the stadium, giving the County a $100 million plus windfall over and above the $35 million used on the stadium.

Plus, the County gets back the $20 million they were supposed to spend on a parking structure at the Expo Center. Still waiting for the big 'thank you' from Corroon on that one.

So, what we have is clueless Corroon saying that giving back part of the money that the County is getting from the stadium project, and wouldn't otherwise have, is too much to ask.

You'd think by now they would have learned their lesson.

T_H_R_O | 11:21 a.m. April 30, 2008

Private enterprise, private risk, private reward: PRIVATE FUNDING.

It's the beauty and the truth of real capitalism. Those fat swine on Capitol Hill and the swindlers at RSL are no capitalists. This is corporate entitlement, corporate socialism.

Let that steel skeleton stand as-is as a monument and a warning against public funding projects across the country, all of which are no more than extortion and waste.

Please explain to me | 11:23 a.m. April 30, 2008

How most of Utah supports the most wasteful war in the history of America... Billions wasted every week, over 4000 Americans dead for nothing. Yet go crazy over a local soccer stadium.

anonymous | 11:34 a.m. April 30, 2008

hmmm.. lets waste our money on a pointless war instead.. oh wait we are. I'd rather my money go towards the soccer stadium any day.

it's not unusual... | 12:00 p.m. April 30, 2008

Obviously people here in Utah aren't used to stadiums being built. It doesn't matter what sport you are building the stadium for, in a majority of the cases it is subsidized by the government. Can you imagine what kind of uproar (aka whining) would be going on if an NFL stadium was being built here? All of a sudden $10 million doesn't seem like that much....

ahneilson | 12:05 p.m. April 30, 2008

Maybe if the carpetbaggers in Sandy City administration hadn't received all those bonuses Sandy City wouldn't have to go begging for funds from the rest of the county.

RE: T_H_R_O | 12:10 p.m. April 30, 2008

Lemme break it down for you this way: professional sports teams provide benefits to the community that is not captured by the private owners of the team. If a community wants to take advantage of those benefits, it needs to facilitate or subsidize the private investment because the risk and reward that the private owner faces do not include the total benefits of locating a team in any specific place. Therefore, you (yes, you personally -- if you live in Salt Lake County) will benefit from having the team in a stadium with publicly-owned infrastructure (which is what the deal was with RSL -- SL county owns the land and infrastructure on which the stadium sits) in Sandy. Whether you like it or not, a successful RSL side in Sandy is good for you.

Sandy Resident | 12:11 p.m. April 30, 2008

Evidently, most of those speaking out against the stadium have absolutely NO CLUE where the funding is coming from or what it is being used for. The stadium is being built with PRIVATE funds.

The county/city funds are being used to buy the land, build a $20 million parking structure (that will be shared with the Expo center) that was going to be built whether the stadium was built or not, and for road/sewer/utility improvements for that area. The money is coming from the hotel transient room tax that was extended and approved by the Utah Legislature to buy the land and make the capital improvements. The money can ONLY be used for tourism projects. The state will continue to own the land that the stadium sits on. Salt Lake City helped build the Delta Center (ESA) in a similar way that the Real Stadium is being built. Salt Lake City fully funded Franklin Covey Stadium. West Valley fully funded the E Center.

Sandy Resident | 12:14 p.m. April 30, 2008

Real Salt Lake has agreed to donate $7.5 million to Salt Lake City to help them fund Soccer/Rugby/Baseball fields that Salt Lake City residents bonded for in 2003. Real Salt Lake has also agreed to spend millions to promote tourism in the state. The Transient Room Tax money is being generated by people visiting the state that stay in hotel rooms. It is NOT coming from your sales taxes, property taxes or any other taxes that the county's residents pay unless they stay in a Salt Lake County hotel. The hotel room tax (ie Transient Room tax) in Salt Lake is about average with most of the mid to large cities in the country. It is not high by any means. Many cities have a much higher tax.

Mayor Cartoon was willing to help fund the stadium if Real would have built it in Salt Lake City instead of Sandy. For some reason, it was a good investment if it was built there. Mayor Cartoon wants to give over $60 million of the tax money to Salt Lake City to build an Arts complex for the symphony and opera. Is that a wise investment of the county's tax dollars ?

I luv it | 12:15 p.m. April 30, 2008

I luv it. I got my RSL stadium and there really isn't anything you can do about it. I won't write about the things taxes are used for that I am against. Trust me, there are many. It is Karma that I now get my own soccer stadium for my team, RSL. Good Karma because I have been a good boy!

GO RSL!

Hey bubba | 12:39 p.m. April 30, 2008

I've got news for you RSL will one day be the biggest draw in the state. Except for guys named bubba

uh huh | 12:56 p.m. April 30, 2008

To Sandy Resident: every time I pay transient tax on every trip I make I just think of the fake cons and people like you who say "it isn't coming out of your wallet, it's from outsiders" as if that makes it okay. Thanks for nothing.

I've got a couple of jokes | 12:57 p.m. April 30, 2008

Joke no 1.: "Real Salt Lake" ha ha, ha ha. Get it? Oh man thats funny stuff.

Joke no 2. "Soccer Stadium" ha ha ha, ha. ha, ha , ha. Oh geeze, I'm one funny guy.

My point is that Real Salt Lake and this soccer stadium are the biggest jokes in Utah right now. What a waste and I even like soccer.

To: Bubba | 12:58 p.m. April 30, 2008

I do not work for ReAL, I love my job.
I am not crazed, aside from trying to drive through Salt Lake County.
I don't believe at ANY cost, unless it would be at the expense of your "Double-Wide" mansion.
I am not ignorant, I always study both sides before making a decission.
I am not involved, I am not a politician, construction worker, land owner or anyone else that is involved.
The arguments are biased from both sides, they both leave-out/redirect statements to show how "Right" they are.

Now, go away or I shall taunt you a second time!

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