Bills close to new lease agreement

[Fitzpatrick'sbeard]

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz (D), in a conversation with 2 On Your Side's Scott Brown, says he hopes to have a new lease with the team in place well before then.

Scott Brown: "Have you spoken personally to Mr. Wilson about the lease?"

County Executive Poloncarz: "No, I have not spoken to Mr. Wilson. I've spoken to Russ Brandon, the CEO and President, I've spoken to Jeff Littman (team treasurer) and communications are on going."

Scott Brown: "How confident are you that a new lease is going to get done and are we talking ten years or so?"

County Executive Poloncarz: "I feel very confident that a lease is going to get done, my goal is to get it done by the beginning of training camp (this summer) and we're going to try and get the longest lease we possibly can."

Scott Brown: "Ten years, fifteen years what do you think?"

County Executive Poloncarz: "At least that, at least ten years."

Scott Brown: "Is it encouraging that as opposed to the past, Mr. Wilson is not threatening to move, or asking for a new stadium or things of that sort?"

County Executive Poloncarz: "Well I think he's gone out publicly and said he doesn't need a new stadium, wants to keep the team here in Buffalo, I think that's very encouraging. We're not all going to be on this planet forever so I've got to ensure that this team is going to be here for the long term, generations to come, and I'm glad to see that Mr. Wilson has that same commitment as well."

Scott Brown: "Do you envision penalty clauses or out clauses during the course of the lease?"

County Executive Poloncarz: "We're going to look at all facets of it, communications are on going and as time goes by we're going to be discussing everything. My goal is to get it done by the start of training camp and I think the Bills have a similar timeline as well."

Later this month, the Bills are expected to release the results of a study the team has commissioned to determine what it believes the stadium needs in terms of upgrades and repairs.

Poloncarz says the county will wind up picking up a portion of the cost, but he's hoping that the state will pay for the majority of the improvements.

http://www.wgrz.com/sports/pro_football/NFL/Bills/article/159109/116/Poloncarz-Hopes-To-Have-New-Bills-Lease-By-Training-Camp

[Philagape]

Thread title fail. There is nothing in that transcript that indicates they're close.

[Michael82]

Thread title fail. There is nothing in that transcript that indicates they're close.
That's the actual title of the article too.

[Philagape]

That's the actual title of the article too.

Right now it says "Poloncarz Hopes To Have New Bills Lease By Training Camp"

[Michael82]

Right now it says "Poloncarz Hopes To Have New Bills Lease By Training Camp"
Yup and did you read his whole thread title? He used the description line to add more detail...

Bills close to new lease agreement (http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=210158)
could be done by Training Camp

[Philagape]

I use the New Posts page so I don't see subtitles, and that subtitle doesn't make the main title any less false

[Lone Stranger]

I don't know how they can be close when they don't have any idea on the cost of improvements and the cost sharing arrangement.

[DMBcrew36]

Whatever the arrangement... taxpayers have been doing their part for a long time... stop blacking out games.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

As far as I'm concerned, no playoffs this year, no lease. If Poloncarz digs Erie County and New York State into another nine-figure hole before we even hit training camp, he deserves to be flogged. WNY has been saddled with a mediocre team enough.

However, wasting the taxpayers' money is something I fully expect from him.

[clumping platelets]

$1 billion coming to WNY.........use a portion of that

[blackonyx89]

$1 billion coming to WNY.........use a portion of that

Excellent suggestion, might as well use a portion of that money and join Jim Kelly or whatever investor who wants to buy the Bills when that time comes. Just a thought.

[OpIv37]

If the Bills do get a lease done, that would make it that much more difficult to move the team, which is obviously a good thing.

Unfortunately, there was nothing concrete in that article at all. It was a lot of "feel-good" stuff but nothing has actually gotten done.

I found this part especially disconcerting:


Scott Brown: "Do you envision penalty clauses or out clauses during the course of the lease?"

County Executive Poloncarz: "We're going to look at all facets of it, communications are on going and as time goes by we're going to be discussing everything. My goal is to get it done by the start of training camp and I think the Bills have a similar timeline as well."

it might be hard to convince Wilson to accept penalty clauses as that would hurt the value of our team.

[ddaryl]

a new lease won't appease the new owner(s)

In all honesty it's time for Buffalo to start seriously talking New Stadium...

[OpIv37]

a new lease won't appease the new owner(s)

In all honesty it's time for Buffalo to start seriously talking New Stadium...
there's no money. The state's broke. The county's broke. Ralph doesn't have the resources to finance it privately, and even if he did he probably wouldn't spend it.

[ddaryl]

there's no money. The state's broke. The county's broke. Ralph doesn't have the resources to finance it privately, and even if he did he probably wouldn't spend it.
gee whiz dude, got to go negative right away. you really have a knack

the NFL hands out monies, NYS can create a lottery to help pay for it, and other things can be discussed now, and some plans can at least be put in motion

but not discussing it now mean even more chaos when the issue is forced to the surface in few years or less when Ralph does pass.

No new stadium on the table the odds of keeping the Bills decreases.

Minnesota doesn't have much money either

[Johnny Bugmenot]

$1 billion coming to WNY.........use a portion of that
That $1 billion figure is a mirage-- it's composed entirely of existing tax breaks and incentive programs.