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To borrow from my analogy a few weeks back about the Lowell Devils being like that sickly relative in a hospital bed, the family and doctors agreed on a course of action to extend life by another year, but the patient is still terminal, and barring a miracle, will be gone in May of 2008.
In today’s Lowell Sun, Michael LaFleur reports on the deal struck by the city and the Devils to keep the team in the Mill City for the 2007-08 season. The agreement basically agrees to split the difference on the city’s $250k loss while avoiding a costly legal battle over a signed contract and Lowell’s right to refuse funding for the Tsongas Arena.
From here, it looks like a win-win situation for both sides, albeit a temporary victory. Lowell recoups $125k while not pulling the plug on a business. The Devils lose out on $125k, but will still operate for another year under a very favorable lease while assessing other options for where to play in the future. But when you get right down to it, nobody expects the Devils to be here beyond the upcoming season. If you thought attendance was horrible last year, wait till you see what happens now that the city and business community don’t get behind the team.
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Here’s what I don’t get; why all the ominous sounding threats from Meehan and other political leaders? The college program has gone this long, it can’t wait one more year for the situation with the AHL team to play itself out naturally instead of going to court to fight the inevitable legal battles? Can’t Meehan, Sen. Panagiotakos and Rep. Murphy use their considerable clout to get the Board of Trustees off our back until the Devils are gone and a new, MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL agreement is worked out between the city and the university?
Come on guys. Let’s get together on this and stop taking things public. Work out your differences, differences that can very easily be worked out if everyone is reasonable, behind closed doors. The taxpayers, who continue to get walloped in the wallet, deserve better than political posturing from the locals and threats from out of town Board of Trustees members who don’t have Lowell’s best interests at heart.
As I read the article, we have two "partners" each with $4M invested, a great facility, and a sublease with the Devils that is supposed to help cut expenses associated with upkeep, ice time, and direct game-time expenses. Teddy, I agree with you that this is the stuff of politics; all a taxpayer can suggest is a good accountant who can review the fiancial statements for the rink and get the partners back on an even keel.
The problem is the Board of Trustees want to pull the plug on the program and they've been itching do it for awhile. It sure would be nice if we could put this off for a year before this silly game gets played again but the BOT wants to swing the axe on this program. What's worse is it seems that the city seems to be set on providing the BOT with that excuse instead of first focusing its attention on UMass-Lowell. They dealt with the Devils first. Such a shame that they've decided to dance with him just to see my alma mater go down the drain. This is more than 17-20 nights a year to us.
Patrick, unfortunately the city has to take care of its best interests first, not the BOT's.
You can't appear to be giving a better financial package to a college hockey team when you've told a pro team you're not going to fund the arena unless they give you a $125k break on a signed lease. They had to deal with the Devils first, because that was the bigger drain on the city's finances.
You also have to remember the city is telling teachers and other govt. workers there isn't enough money to fill their funding wants (notice I said wants, not needs). And you're asking taxpayers (also known as voters) to accept another hike in their bill. So it's a delicate line the city manager and council must walk.
Do I believe they're going to eventually make it more profitable for the university? Yes. Should they? Again, yes.
But they have to be careful about how and when they go about doing it. That's why I hope our political leaders with Statehouse clout use it to call off the BOT dogs instead of using it to threaten the city of Lowell.