Now I understand that many in the Utah Legislature get a little miffed at the capital city. In fact, I think this is generally the norm throughout the United States. Salt Lake, the largest city in the state, riles up rural and suburban folk all the time.
However I think it's petty politics in what the state legislature did to the city of Salt Lake when it came to the RSL stadium. Their beef with the city undermined the balancing act they have to deal with when it comes to competing cities.
If you'll think back a few months, you will remember that Sen. Curt Bramble (Provo) proposed an RDA bill that would prohibit cities from using RDA funds on sports complexes. Of course this was done mostly in spite because the Salt Lake City Council was banking heavily on using RDA funds to build an MLS stadium in downtown Salt Lake City.
That bill passed and Salt Lake, with land being a lot more expensive downtown than in suburban Salt Lake, was left with watching the stadium choose Sandy over the capital city.
End of story?
Nope, fast forward to today. The Deseret Morning News is reporting that Sen. Curt Bramble has decided that they will lift the sports provision from his RDA bill. Yup, now -- after Salt Lake already lost the stadium bid -- cities can use RDA funds to build sports complexes.
So much for that level playing field, eh?
But it gets better!
Real Salt Lake chose Sandy after the city promised Real that they would share a $20 million parking structure that connected the stadium with the South Towne Expo Center. Salt Lake County drafted a bill that would use the hotel tax to help expand the Salt Palace Convention Center and add that parking structure to the South Towne Expo Center. Salt Lake City put in $8 million, while Sandy contributed NO money.
So, Real Sandy, err, Salt Lake, tells Sandy that they'll build the stadium there IF they promise to share the South Towne Expo Center parking structure with the team. Sandy agrees, the Salt Lake County Council drafts a bill to pay for the parking structure AND the expansion of the Salt Palace Convention Center, and Salt Lake puts in $8 million to help build the parking structure, while Sandy pays nothing. Real fair, eh?
Real shady if you ask me.
This quote was from Mark Crockett on the Salt Lake County Council:
"Salt Lake City was forced to pay money to subsidize Sandy city taking soccer away, and I don't think that's fair," Salt Lake County Councilman Mark Crockett said.
He hit the nail right on the head.
There are also other bills being proposed that would help ease construction costs, but I ask, where were they a year ago? Why is it that everyone on capitol hill remained quiet while Salt Lake tried to find funding (even going to the extreme and banning using RDA money on sports comlexes), yet now they're all ready to embrace Sandy and help them out?
Maybe we should not allow Sen. Bramble into the Delta Center. See, the DC was also paid for by RDA funding and if he would have had his way, back in '91, the stadium would have never been built.
The article closes with this RICH quote by Sandy mayor Tom Dolan on why the stadium should be in Sandy, ""I keep emphasizing we're not trying to become Salt Lake City," he said. "We want to be a very nice suburban area who can offer resources to the residents in the south valley."
Really, Tom? Well fine, if I were Mayor Anderson I would demand Real Salt Lake change their name to Real South Valley.
This is why I hope the stadium fails in Sandy, because Real Salt Lake and the Utah Legislature did everything in their power to deny construction of the stadium in Salt Lake City.
It would be poetic justice if in 10 years all that's there is a 20,000 seat dump, vacated by Real South Valley after the team couldn't draw enough support.
You can read the entire article here:
Ways the Legislature tries to stick it to the SLC.
Interesting, a trailer has been moved to the old Social Hall site. Now this doesn't mean construction is about to start, but it does give me something to speculate about!
I noticed this project a few weeks ago around St. Mark's Cathedral. I looked up the construction company (Culp Construction) and found out they're expanding the cathedral, which is cool I guess as it develops the block even more.
