Chamblee54

The Atlanta Falcons want a new stadium. One proposed name is the Blank Bowl. The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) is meeting Monday morning to vote on a 24 page document outlining the terms for building the facility. If the measure passes, there will be more negotiations to work out details. It is not known who will have the authority to green light the deal, or when this step will be taken. Evidently, voting taxpayers will not be consulted.
The fishwrapper has a story with quotes from the proposed agreement. None of the 34 comments support building a new stadium.
sad_newspaper at 10:02 a.m. Dec. 9, 2012 This city is too damn hood for a new stadium. We have so many other pressing issues, my explodes just thinking of ways I’d spend the $300 million dollars and no, a stadium is not on that list.
ThinkHarder at 8:53 a.m. Dec. 9, 2012 I can’t believe that this is even being considered. Some of the low parts in Atlanta smell like raw sewage, many of the roads are in shambles, crime still permeates many communities, and were considering the replacement of a more than adequate event stadium. This benefits a few exceedingly wealthy men at the expense of everyone else in our community. The hotel taxes are already high. Of all the things Atlanta needs to improve, the GA dome is way down towards the bottom of the list. We better get our priorities straightened out, and we better get it done in a hurry. This is a sham.
The Blank Bowl would cost an estimated one billion dollars. This is 5555% of the cost of Atlanta Stadium, the original home of the Falcons. The state will have a hotel-motel tax, which is estimated to bring in $300 million. The Falcons would cover the rest. The sale of Personal Seat Licenses will bring in an estimated $100 million.
“Falcons contribution: Other than the proceeds of the bonds backed by the hotel/motel tax, plus the seat-license sales, the Falcons “are responsible for funding the remainder of (the stadium’s) costs, including cost overruns” and must “provide reasonable evidence to GWCCA of a financing plan.” (Ballpark math: If the hotel-motel tax covers about $300 million and PSLs about $100 million, the Falcons would be responsible for about $600 million. The team could be eligible for up to $200 million in loans and grants from the NFL.)”
The Blank Bowl would replace the Georgia Dome. The Dome was built in the early nineties, after the Falcons threatened to move to Jacksonville. The Atlanta City Council voted not to approve the deal, and then changed it’s mind a week later. (This history is based on PG’s memory, and may not be completely accurate.) The Dome was built as part of the World Congress Center complex, and is used as exhibit space for trade shows.
Two sites are being considered for The Blank Bowl. Both are downtown, near the present Georgia Dome. “The north site has more property, which would give football fans more opportunity for tailgating before games. It also sits up higher on a hill, which could provide better vistas to show off the $1 billion stadium in relation to the skyline.”
PG has a few questions about The Blank Bowl. 1- Construction uses a lot of water. What will happen if Lake Lanier runs dry during the construction of the Blank Bowl? 2- The State of Georgia is broke. The City of Atlanta is broke. MARTA is broke. The city sewers are need repairs. The schools need more money. This list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Why does a new stadium for a privately owned football team take priority over the needs of the rest of the citizens? Why don’t we take the hotel-motel tax and build a pipeline to the Tennessee River? Or, we can sell Personal Seat Licenses for a sewer system. 3- The United States is on the edge of a fiscal cliff. There is an expensive war being fought. Why does the National Football League have $200 to spare right now?
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.