CRDA...UCONN's Landlord at the Rent

[Pudge]

There's no demand for it. If there were, private investors would be begging to get involved on the project. They're not.

Building a world-class arena isn't a sign of urban status or social elevation. If it were, New Orleans and Detroit would be middle class meccas.

This is just stupid.

AGAIN ... this is the state of the world if you want to compete. In Nanoscience, for instance, New York State has committed $45 Billion to three new Chip Fabs. Why?

Chip Fabs used to cost $3 Billion. When the cost has gone up 5 times in a decade, the ONLY way you are in this business is if a Government entity steps up and you just do it with the power of the State Authority to do bonds to Public Markets. A Private Investor? No one is going to take the risk of a $15 Billion plant (Intel nor Global Foundries nor Taiwan Semiconductor nor etc etc). It just is too much.

Stadiums are now the same. You could build a Minor League Stadium for $10m. DO you think $60m is a different proposition? It absolutely is. So ... we only have X amount of Steve Ballmer's and they aren't in 93% of our US markets. Government has to do it.

 

[UConn9604]

This is just stupid.

AGAIN ... this is the state of the world if you want to compete. In Nanoscience, for instance, New York State has committed $45 Billion to three new Chip Fabs. Why?

Chip Fabs used to cost $3 Billion. When the cost has gone up 5 times in a decade, the ONLY way you are in this business is if a Government entity steps up and you just do it with the power of the State Authority to do bonds to Public Markets. A Private Investor? No one is going to take the risk of a $15 Billion plant (Intel nor Global Foundries nor Taiwan Semiconductor nor etc etc). It just is too much.

Stadiums are now the same. You could build a Minor League Stadium for $10m. DO you think $60m is a different proposition? It absolutely is. So ... we only have X amount of Steve Ballmer's and they aren't in 93% of our US markets. Government has to do it.

Your second-to-last sentence just disproved your last sentence (and your first paragraph).

That's not to say the State can't do it, obviously. States can do just about anything they want, as long as it doesn't violate your constitutional rights, and investing in football is a policy path that some states have chosen and others have not.

But that's a separate question than whether the State should do it, or whether the State must do it. The answer to the former is questionable, the answer to the latter is definitely not.

 

[UConn9604]

FYI, the State didn't build the basketball practice facility. (Well, UConn is floating money to get the project done but expects to be fully repaid from private donations.) The money doesn't have to come from the State.

 

[J187Money]

FYI, the State didn't build the basketball practice facility. (Well, UConn is floating money to get the project done but expects to be fully repaid from private donations.) The money doesn't have to come from the State.

Right. But UCONN hoops is clearly the most popular thing in the state. Wonder if you could get enough scratch to do anything else. People have to care.

 

[UConn9604]

Right. But UCONN hoops is clearly the most popular thing in the state. Wonder if you could get enough scratch to do anything else. People have to care.

...and each year we have fewer and fewer people caring about what is clearly (I agree) the most popular thing in the State, unfortunately.

 

[SubbaBub]

The Patriots had a legally binding contract (although I will default to the Yard lawyers on this) for one year with the city of Hartford. Intention or not, it is my understanding that as long as ground was broken and construction started on a new stadium within one year of their agreement, the Patriots would move to Hartford. The agreement had in place an opt-out if the stadium wasn't started within one year and we all know how that turned out.

And this is a UCONN board. We're not here to discuss financing costs for education, roads, or public services. We're here to discuss UCONN. Of course I know that 100% of the Connecticut's money won't go to UCONN but I'm not on this site to discuss what those other options are. I am here to talk UCONN. If you want to talk about what interests constituents in this state, those types of discussions take place in the Cesspool. Feel free to take it over there (where I will not care to join you one bit).

The Pats contract was a movie prop. It was full of ifs, buts and other non- commitments. It was a sham show from the beginning.