Worcester County Economic Development Director Bill Badger on Tuesday presented the County Commissioners with a proposal from Texas-based Hat Trick Consultants about the possibility of developing a multi-purpose sports arena that could be home to a minor league hockey team and would host, for example, regional high school and college sports events, boxing matches, conventions, concerts, graduations and other events. Hat Trick has already conducted its own feasibility study for the proposed arena in Worcester with favorable results, and the next step in what would likely be a lengthy process would be a similar study conducted by the Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA), which would be the state partner in the private-public partnership.
The MSA study would validate Hat Trick’s own study and would also review the impact of the project on surrounding MSA investments, including the Roland E. Powell Convention Center’s new Performing Arts Center, which just opened, and the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, for example. Badger on Tuesday urged the commissioners to fund Worcester’s portion of the MSA study, and after considerable debate, the commissioners agreed to pony up its $12,000 portion.
The breakdown for the MSA study, estimated in a range of $15,000 to $20,000, would be 60 percent for the county and 40 percent for the state, although Hat Trick has agreed to contribute $5,000 toward the additional MSA study.
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Another project lost for wicomico county.
ReplyDelete9:33 my thoughts too. Always a step behind.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point of another multi-purpose facility that typically sits empty 75% of the time?
ReplyDeleteYeah... Heaven forbit a private endeavor pony up money to do anything around here..why in the heck should the government or any other government agency being the business of building stadiums is beyond me
ReplyDeleteNot to worry.. The prime problems for Wicomico county tourism are the lack of adequate HOTELS and sub-standard airline service.. Neither Snow Hill nor Ocean City can remedy those problems.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't the best location be in "the crossroads of Delmarva? No offense to Snow Hill.
ReplyDeleteMore welfare housing and homeless shelters, huh not.
ReplyDelete1004-So you're for building more hotels, and upgrading the airport...for what? Wicomico has no attractions.
ReplyDeleteWicomico county has no attractions to speak of. Worcester has ocean city, Berlin, and snow hill has a new bread of forward thinking elected officials. Snow hill is currently deeply involved in economic development and soon will rival berlin for the coolest town in America. they have a river that will be a focal point of their growth. Watch and learn Salisbury.
ReplyDeleteThere must be some money in it, as Allentown PA recently built an arena.
ReplyDeleteAnd they have some big name partners involved.
http://phantomsarena.com
http://www.pplcenter.com/events/view-all-events
Just keep saying no to everything....... venture out on occasion to other areas to see what the rest of the world is doing.
"Wicomico county has no attractions to speak of."
ReplyDeleteThen isn't it time we did?
If we had motivated people, there is a lot more we could do with what we have available.
Perdue stadium could be used for more venues than baseball. Why not concerts and or other events?
Orchard Park NY used to have massive out door concerts in their stadium and people from all over used to flock to the place.
no one wants to pay for it, 11:18. You might need grants or something. Oh my, here we go with the taxpayers money.
ReplyDeleteSo the project is lost for Wicomico County? Did Wicomico County want the project when they won't even fund their own Civic Center and make it desirable for other events? Build a new one vs renovate the old? Ok for this but not for schools? Most of the people who comment here have no idea what they really want. They just need someone to tell them what they think.
ReplyDelete11:48 - That's what corporate sponsors are for. It's not called the Comcast Center for nothing.
ReplyDeleteAnd heaven forbid you INVEST in your community and make it better. I would rather my money go to betterment than welfare.
Narrow.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Wicomico county has no attractions to speak of."
Then isn't it time we did?
If we had motivated people, there is a lot more we could do with what we have available.
Perdue stadium could be used for more venues than baseball. Why not concerts and or other events?
Orchard Park NY used to have massive out door concerts in their stadium and people from all over used to flock to the place.
January 23, 2015 at 11:18 AM
I agree with you 100%. If there are no attractions here then it's time our elected officials makes sure Wicomico County office of Tourism gets off their asses and does something about it. They are about as lame as Dave Ryan and SWED losing businesses in Wicomico County. They are ready watched Beast of the East go down. Pork in the Park is on it's way out. If they don't look into it we are going to lose Delmarva Bike Week.
An arena is being built in Virginia Beach this year so I am pretty sure a minor league hockey team would choose VB before they do anywhere on the Eastern Shore. Those idiots are pipe dreaming and wasting tax dollars.
ReplyDelete12:12
ReplyDeleteI don't see where VB is much different than OC. Being comparable and all, what's your point?
Wicomico had a chance at a hockey team at the Civic Center some years ago. Weak, intimidated elected officials were too afraid to go against the alcohol restriction even when a well-thought out viable plan to move the deed restriction was presented. The old elected officials have shot us in the foot over and over again.
ReplyDelete1233-As of the 2010 census, the population of Virginia Beach was 437,994. Ocean City? 7,102.
ReplyDeleteSure, Ocean City usually has more tourists per year(typically 3-5M more visitors), but far less year round residents than Virginia Beach.
Close the civic center
ReplyDeleteClose perdue
Get rid of the scam so called homeless
Get rid of shore stop
Get rid of lower shore ent.
And shore up
DeleteThe mayor
Fake day
Wboc
Wmdt
Drunk trolly
And definitely Perdue,thug haven.
this is the problem Salisbury politics when the mall came down so should have the Civic Center ...instead a newer facility bigger built on the old mall site ..and a big multideck parking garage on old civic center site...it would be able to sell alcohol ...we've had how many opportunities to have a hockey team here???? stupid stupid stupid
ReplyDeleteSalisbury is a wefare city...they dont want anything to do with factoriies...bigger venues..jobs...only low rent federally subsidized housing..civic center opportunites lost..and cant keep what they had or have....whats wrong here....DEMOCRATS policy
ReplyDeleteBerlin, Cambridge, Easton... all have Historic buildings equal to the Atlantic Hotel in Berlin, and so does Salisbury. The difference is that the other town are being run by people educated in marketing, hospitality, local interests, and how to compete with areas of town that HAVE NO PARKING METERS!, we get the narcissistic fag mayor without a clue. Or is it gay these days? Whatever, we are screwed.
ReplyDeleteInstead
In wicomico, During the Mackes empire. I think i remember reading on this blog were the director of marketing received a 10K a year annual raise because there value in bringing events to wicomico county.Another way out of means upgrade that was not needed.
ReplyDelete