Comments on: IF YOU WANT SOMETHING ELSE TO TALK ABOUT…Tough talk in that Lighthouse Project report

By: MSA

MSA — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 23:22:57 +0000

BTW… The Rock in Newark has insane mass transit. I have friends, on Long Island, that will not miss a Islanders vs Devils game in NJ!!!!

Sadly, they find it easier, and more fun to go to Newark via LIRR and NJ Transit, that they would rather spend their money there!!!

If that doesn’t say it all, nothing does…..

By: JayK

JayK — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:30:05 +0000

Mike D (#80): Yes, the Rock is in a not particularly great city. It was definitely a bit of a risk for the Devils’ owners. But both the Tigers and Lions moved to adjacent stadiums in downtown Detroit, which is on par with Newark, and are doing well. It’s a horrendous city — I’ve been there several times — but still, after the game, there are restaurants across the street, you can stroll over to Greektown, which is lively, etc. This MAY eventually happen with Newark; I don’t know. But the fact of the move itself is clearly another team turning their back on the “get in your car and drive to our home” type of arena.

Also, in #86: Newsday is doing a lousy job in not pointing out that Kate Murray’s “offer” is ridiculous. It’s like her offering people a chance to play golf at Eisenhower Park. It’s just laughable.

By: MikeD

MikeD — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:26:23 +0000

Chirs TMC…You should read more carefully next time. I didn’t say the TOH offered the Islanders a new arena, I was commenting on the fact that Newsday said they did.

By: NYI FAN

NYI FAN — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:21:35 +0000

There is the ‘Rotten Apple Theory’ possibility for this area. Someone said Uniondale is a ‘horrible’ area. Well, the rotten apple theory states that you cannot take a rotten apple, put it in with fresh apples & expect the good apples to make the rotten apple better, the rotten apple always makes the good apples bad. I am not saying that the Lighthouse area will turn out ‘Horrible’ as someone put it, but the surrounding other communities such as East Meadow,Westbury will be affected. How? I certainly do not know, but am concerned.
This does not make me less an Islander fan than the ones that want the Lighthouse built, just one fan that does not want to see this part of Nassau county turned into Times Square. That’s all. This is the Island, not NYC. I enjoy driving past the Coliseum & seeing some wide open unused space, but that is me & I accept any decision made, but have made my concerns against it to all of the local politicians.

By: 19 ISLE in NJ 22

19 ISLE in NJ 22 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:21:04 +0000

BTW … Chris TMC is correct … To many people are ill-informed or have partial information … The Town of Hempstead can’t offer the Isle’s to just re-do the Coliseum… It isn’t their property to make that offer. It’s Nassau County’s and they want the whole site redone by their tennant.

By: 19 ISLE in NJ 22

19 ISLE in NJ 22 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:18:28 +0000

What does anyone expect the Isles / Wang to say if they aren’t able to have the Light House??? We already know that Wang CAN’T just re-do the Coli as a stand alone and make money … that isn’t an option.

So if the Lighthouse is not approved. I fully expect Wang (rightfully so) to Find Some Love Elsewhere … PERIOD … and you cannot blame him… Don’t demonize Wang for wanting to pull up stakes … the man already saved the Isles once … but he’s not going to lose $20M a year every year b/c the Town of Hempstead says NO.

By: Chris TMC

Chris TMC — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:33:20 +0000

MikeD (78): You say that the TOH “offered the Islanders a new arena”? In what spacetime continuum was that, may I ask? The closest thing to what youre talking about (and it is not very close) was the TOH suggesting that Wang build a new arena out of his own pocket before all of the studies go through- so that the Lighthouse could take an extra 5 years to pass without anything pressuring them.

And she actually has no right to make that offer, even if the Islanders DID want to do it. Nassau county already had the choice to vote for an arena alone or for the lighthouse project, and guess which one was already approved? Nassau County government > TOH government.

Ill say it again- get informed. Please.

By: Nick Isles From Brooklyn

Nick Isles From Brooklyn — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:22:41 +0000

people can argue points all day long – the bottome line now – is will it be approved. Anyone have any inside info that this will be – I am out of the LI Politics loop and im just curious – is the TOH going to approve it or will the moving trucks come in. Yes there are a lot of steps – this that and the other thing – bottom line – will Kate Murray become our Robert Mosses?

By: MikeD

MikeD — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:50:58 +0000

JayK…you seem to be much more well informed on the details surrounding the Lighthouse than I am but to say a stand-alone arena is dead is just crazy. How is it the Devils can have one in the middle of what most consider a bad neighborhood and we can’t support one on Long Island?

By: JayK

JayK — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:32:02 +0000

MikeD (#78): Kate Murray is making offers she has no business making.

Two things: first, the Coliseum can be redeveloped without any Town of Hempstead involvement. Its involvement is zoning, and the place obviously is zoned already for an arena. So Kate Murray saying she “offered” Wang the “opportunity” to redevelop the site as a stand alone arena is an empty gesture.

Secondly, the owner of the land is Nassau County. They had a request for proposals. There were several. (Five, I believe). The Wang/Rexcorp proposal was chosen. Not one of the five offered to simply redo the Coliseum.

Everyone should just get it through their thick skulls: the day of the stand-alone arena surrounded by a parking lot is dead, dead, dead. Nobody is going to redevelop the NVMC in that way, unless the county wants to take it upon itself to squander millions of dollars of taxpayer money each year as the owner of a stand-alone arena. That’s why nobody proposed that in the RFP.

Forget a stand-alone arena. It isn’t happening. And the next time Kate Murray says she “offered” that option, everyone should just laugh in her face. She isn’t needed for that plan to take place.

By: MikeD

MikeD — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:21:42 +0000

bergie20….”Nothing we didn’t already know”????…I had no idea Kate Murray had been offering a “NEW”, not refurbished, but new arena and Wang turned her down because he wants the stupid Lighthouse. Clearly this guy does not have the Islanders at the top of his list.

By: DonK

DonK — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 08:19:07 +0000

#73: Unless Nassau County condemns SMG’s lease, the Isles are stuck. And rest assured, that’s not going to happen. Also rest assured that without a new arena deal set up soon, the Isles will be somewhere else no later than the fall of 2015. The Coliseum is a dump, and short of a total overhaul, it’s on its last legs.

It’s hard to say whether the Isles would still be here had Wang (and Kumar) not bought the team. However, for those of you lamenting Wang’s ownership, please remember the state of the Isles before the Wang/Kumar purchase. If you things are bad now — this is nothing. Ask Chris.

Wang’s record is mixed. He has put some effort into fixing up/cleaning up the Coliseum (a hovel before he and Kumar took over). The Isles have enough money to operate like a real franchise (they don’t sell off players to keep the budget down — think Ziggy Palffy deal). On the down side, he kept Milbury way too long, fired Neil Smith after only six weeks (send Neil your thanks every time you see Kyle Okposo or Brendan Witt) because Smith wanted to be in charge of the things GMs are usually in charge of; hired a completely inexperienced GM (mixed results); gave Yashin an idiotic contract (and paid the price), gave DP a too-long contract.

Is Wang a crook? If not, he is (or was) right on the borderline. I worked for a tech mag back in the day, and he and Sanjay pulled some real stunts to line their wallets. Wang got out of CA ahead of the Feds; Kumar didn’t.

As for the Lighthouse: Wang and Reckson won the right to develop the area in an open process and are (apparently) not asking for public money. If things go well, they will make a great deal of money. But if they are taking the risk and can make it pay off in big profits — isn’t that what our economy is supposed to be about (right, Mr. President — oh, sorry, we’re all supposed to be taxed out of out shorts … but that’s another problem).

I actually doubt Wang would move the team himself. He still has to live here. He’s more likely to sell to someone who would do the deed. But unless a buyer can take that TV deal with him/her, I can’t see the team moving out of the area. The NHL has enough problem with small-market teams in non-hockey cities without adding another one.

BTW: Watch for one possible scenario: With the Atlantic Yards project on life support and soon to have the plug pulled, Bruce Ratner looks to sell the Nets — and Wang (who admitted when he bought the team that he was a hoops guy) tries to buy them and bring them back to the Island.