Post by 50yardfan on Aug 5, 2010 22:24:34 GMT -5
www.thetimesherald.com/article/20100805/OPINION01/8050326
In its quarterly report to the Port Huron City Council, the team that oversees McMorran Place asked for $1.1 million to pay for much- needed capital improvements.
General Manager Randy Fernandez and McMorran Authority Board Chairman Mark Bessette also sought to gin up a bit of excitement about future plans for the arena. In particular, they spoke of the possibility of indoor football returning to McMorran Place this winter.
"It would be new revenue for McMorran," Fernandez said. "And also I think for the community to have not only hockey in the wintertime but another sport to come and watch again should be good for the community as a whole."
Really? Seriously?
There is a reason the city continues to lose credibility with taxpayers who'd like to think the dollars they invest at McMorran Place are spent effectively.
The reason is the managers of McMorran Place keep trying the same things over and over. Failure never seems to faze them.
For the record, indoor football has been tried at McMorran Place. The Port Huron Pirates arrived in town four years ago as charter members of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.
On the field, or rather the floor, the Pirates weren't good -- they were great. They went undefeated in 2006 and won the inaugural league championship before 2,500 cheering fans at McMorran.
In 2007, the Pirates not only opened the season with a dozen straight victories, they won those games by an average score of 60-17. Even the "close" games were routs. They gave fans every reason to cheer them.
Yet, the Pirates left town after the 12th game. Team owners cited fast-accumulating debt and disappointing attendance. The announcement of the move came at a home game played before just 1,200 spectators. The franchise failed in Port Huron despite a flawless record.
Why would anyone look at indoor football as an answer -- even the tiniest part of an answer -- to the question of how McMorran can attract more users and become profitable?
We've been down this road before. Port Huron pro hockey franchises have included Flags, Wings, Clippers, Beacons, Border Cats, Flags (again) and Icehawks.
Some of these clubs were well-managed; some less so. When one franchise would fail, another would appear with optimistic owners who seemed certain they had the plan for success their predecessors lacked.
McMorran Place is a valuable asset. It pays for itself in a variety of ways, including spin-off benefits for tax-paying businesses.
Still, 50 straight years of operating deficits have grown wearisome. Residents are looking for reassurances that things will get better, and the idea that indoor football is an answer is not just disappointing but insulting.
In its quarterly report to the Port Huron City Council, the team that oversees McMorran Place asked for $1.1 million to pay for much- needed capital improvements.
General Manager Randy Fernandez and McMorran Authority Board Chairman Mark Bessette also sought to gin up a bit of excitement about future plans for the arena. In particular, they spoke of the possibility of indoor football returning to McMorran Place this winter.
"It would be new revenue for McMorran," Fernandez said. "And also I think for the community to have not only hockey in the wintertime but another sport to come and watch again should be good for the community as a whole."
Really? Seriously?
There is a reason the city continues to lose credibility with taxpayers who'd like to think the dollars they invest at McMorran Place are spent effectively.
The reason is the managers of McMorran Place keep trying the same things over and over. Failure never seems to faze them.
For the record, indoor football has been tried at McMorran Place. The Port Huron Pirates arrived in town four years ago as charter members of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League.
On the field, or rather the floor, the Pirates weren't good -- they were great. They went undefeated in 2006 and won the inaugural league championship before 2,500 cheering fans at McMorran.
In 2007, the Pirates not only opened the season with a dozen straight victories, they won those games by an average score of 60-17. Even the "close" games were routs. They gave fans every reason to cheer them.
Yet, the Pirates left town after the 12th game. Team owners cited fast-accumulating debt and disappointing attendance. The announcement of the move came at a home game played before just 1,200 spectators. The franchise failed in Port Huron despite a flawless record.
Why would anyone look at indoor football as an answer -- even the tiniest part of an answer -- to the question of how McMorran can attract more users and become profitable?
We've been down this road before. Port Huron pro hockey franchises have included Flags, Wings, Clippers, Beacons, Border Cats, Flags (again) and Icehawks.
Some of these clubs were well-managed; some less so. When one franchise would fail, another would appear with optimistic owners who seemed certain they had the plan for success their predecessors lacked.
McMorran Place is a valuable asset. It pays for itself in a variety of ways, including spin-off benefits for tax-paying businesses.
Still, 50 straight years of operating deficits have grown wearisome. Residents are looking for reassurances that things will get better, and the idea that indoor football is an answer is not just disappointing but insulting.