Monthly Archives: August 2009
James Mirtle on the fight to save the Islanders.
Mark Herrmann on yesterday’s First Stars: you.
3:15 pm - Stunningly, the public hearing for the Lighthouse Project ends not only two hours before its allotted time, but without any hint of formal, significant, organized opposition. That’s all, folks. Now we wait to hear from Supervisor Kate Murray and the Town of Hempstead board.
Quick recap. The Adams Playhouse was at 90% capacity from the 9:30 am start of today’s hearing. About 9 out of every 10 speakers were in favor of the Lighthouse Project, consistent with the crowd which was filled primarily with Islanders fans and union workers.
The Lighthouse Development Corporation did well, showing two effective videos and lining up the big guns from Bettman to Bossy to Bishop Murphy. They had a good day. While some members of the Town Board were on their Blackberrys or looking the other way while supporters and opponents spoke passionately, Lighthouse leaders Charles Wang, Scott Rechler and Michael Picker listened, took notes and were emotionally engaged.
After a one-hour break for lunch at 1:00 pm, the audience dwindled down to about 75.
Still, emotions ran deep. One senior citizen who spoke a few minutes ago got choked up talking about how the Islanders put Long Island on the map. One of the final speakers of the day asked for the dismissal of incompetent poilticans. Ouch. What a way to end.
The Lighthouse Live Blog and Lighthouse on Twitter covered it all day. Newsday had three writers here, the Islanders bloggers were out in full force and there were several local news crews around this morning.
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I requested the opportunity to speak and my name was called at noon. I was grateful to get to the podium before lunch, and especially appreciative of the people who gave me such kind encouragement as the nerves started to kick in.
The purpose of my speech was to encourage the board to listen to the proponents and opponents, but find a way to continue to work out a deal with Charles Wang and Scott Rechler. My feeling is, if this transformation of the Coliseum and surrounding property doesn’t work with Wang and Rechler, then who?
My speech:
“Supervisor Murray, members of the board, your staff, Mr. Ra, Mr. Deery…you have kept your word. You are here. We are here. For that, I salute your tireless stewardship of this project.”
(I then offered for me and my buddy to go out and get lunch for them).
“Today, you will hear from some opponents of the Lighthouse Project…many will make some very fair points, no doubt. We all must show them respect. My goal is simply to urge you to do whatever is in your power to make the Lighthouse Project work with Charles Wang and Scott Rechler. If this development doesn’t happen with a pair of dedicated, successful and generous Nassau County neighbors like these men, it’s not going to work with anyone else.
“I spent most of this decade inside the Islanders family and the last year outside it. My feelings have not changed: there is not an owner in the modern history of professional sports who has done more to keep a franchise afloat in his own backyard than Charles Wang.
“He returned the franchise to respectability, making the playoffs 4 of 5 years. But he knows that’s not enough. As Mike Bossy and Bob Nystrom showed us, there is only one champion at the end of the year. Everyone wishes for the team to win more – no one more than Mr. Wang. But ice hockey is a humbling sport. For 54 years, some really smart and successful people on 34th Street in Manhattan wished their hockey team had won more, too.
“Know this about Charles Wang: 1. He is the last New York Islanders owner standing. Count on it. And 2. Under his guidance, the Islanders can grow together and can be champions again.
“Not to be confused with Islanders tough guy Joel Rechlicz, Scott Rechler is not “The Wrecker,” but a builder – one of the most respected in the tri-state area. And like Mr. Wang, he gives back to the community in extraordinary ways. Just in this neighborhood alone, Mr. Rechler is co-chairman of the Long island Children’s Museum and serves on the Honors Advisory Committee right here at Hofstra.
“Supervisor Murray, listen to everything the advocates and the opponents have to say today. I know about the October 3 deadline, but take another week if you have to. Just find a way to make it work for these people and with Mr. Wang and Mr. Rechler. They may be best known as titans of industry, but above all else they are Long Island men of honor. Thank you for your time.”
Comments.
7:45 am - Today is the day. The official Lighthouse site is running a live blog. With no formal press quarters at the Adams Playhouse, this may be your best bet for play-by-play today.
Looks like I’m confirmed to speak at today’s hearing. Sources say my three minutes could come in the noon-2:00 pm range. I’ll do my best to stir it up.
Seth Everett of 1050 ESPN Radio was pretty fired up for our interview last night. Please listen. 23 minutes of Islanders talk starts with Seth’s monologue and then our showdown.
Here’s the Yahoo! Puck Daddy Q & A between Sean Leahy and Point Blank.
6:25 pm - Just in time for the rally! A source said tonight the deal is for an average of $650 K per.
My opening two requests for you to address in Comments.
1. If you somehow managed to take the day Tuesday to attend the rally, march and hearing, tell us all about your anticipation, expectations and what you expect out of the events.
2. If you cannot make the hearing, your official statement on the Lighthouse Project should be sent to the Town of Hempstead at lighthousecomment@tohmail.org. Feel free to share it with PB readers in Comments.
After all this time and coverage, if you are one of the few readers who does not understand how the Lighthouse Project came to be and how for better or worse we got to this place, I don’t know what to tell you. Okay, quick recap:
- Charles Wang bought the Islanders more than 9 years ago, with the promise of some powerful politicians and the expectation that the Coliseum property would eventually have state-of-the-art facilities
- Nassau County insisted on a major development of its HUB. Just a new arena was not an option for the County.
- Wang and Scott Rechler won the property development rights when their bid in a Request For Proposals process was deemed by the County to be superior to their many competitors’
- While the process with the Town of Hempstead continues, Nassau is already working with the developers on a lease
- After all this time, direction from Nassau County and tens of millions of dollars spent or invested, an offer only of a new arena is not the Town of Hempstead’s or anyone else’s offer to make
That’s the very short version. Whether you are for or against the project, you should know this.
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In an oft-fascinating story in today’s Newsday about the developers’ approach prior to Tuesday’s hearing, reporter Eden Laikin has an eye-opening fact.
“More than 240 people already have written to Hempstead Town since the public comment period began July 7. Of those, town officials said 132 were for the Lighthouse Project and 92 were against. The rest just asked questions. Those who expressed opposition and noted their communities came mainly from East Meadow, Merrick, Garden City, Levittown and Freeport.”
Again, the email address is lighthousecomment@tohmail.org. The stage is set for Tuesday.
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These You Tube statistics might tell you everything you need to know about the passion of Islanders fans when it comes to the future of the franchise:
Video of Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray discussing the nuts and bolts of the Lighthouse Project prior to Tuesday’s public hearing: 451 views in 10 days.
Video of apologetic blogger looking to clear the air and put 100% focus back on Lighthouse Project: 2,735 views over the weekend.
I messed up, miscaluculated, lost my way…and now we move on. This week is all about the Lighthouse Project. If you’re going to write anyone, please make it the Town of Hempstead to let them know if you are for or against.
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Doing my small part to get the word out about the hearing-march-rally, I can confirm at least three appearances today on the IPB media tour for the Lighthouse:
News 12 Long Island: Live in-studio for a quick hit with sports anchor Michael Coleman at 8:20 pm and repeated at 9:20 pm.
1050 ESPN Radio: “The Seth Everett Show,” in the 9:00 pm hour
Puck Daddy on Yahoo! Sports: Four short questions from Long Island’s own Sean Leahy, four really long answers on the drama that could unfold on Tuesday. I appreciate the coverage from one of the best and most popular blogs in all of sports.
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I’m sure most of you know all about it by now, but here are the details for tomorrow’s rally and public hearing. “Just Build It” T-shirts for the first 2,000 to show up to the rally.
Whether you support the Lighthouse Project or not, it’s almost inarguably the most significant potential Long Island development in the lifetimes of many of us. If you are an Islanders fan, a happening really doesn’t get any more monumental than Tuesday. Oh sure, there will be plenty of times when some land expert will drone on and you’ll think, “This ain’t exactly Tavares and the Draft Party or the day Nystrom scored.” But it’s big. Real big.
The hearing is tomorrow at 9:30 am at the Adams Playhouse on the campus of Hofstra University. On the endless line of speakers will be NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
The Islanders are hosting a rally beginning at 8:00 am at Field 8 in the lot of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Charles Wang is speaking, Howie Rose is the MC. Josh Bailey and Joel Rechlicz will be there. I’ve heard some Islanders Cup-winners will be there. I expect the unions to be lined up hundreds, if not thousands strong.
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Plans for PB coverage on Tuesday are not yet set. My personal schedule is up in the air and I still don’t even know if the Adams Playhouse will have press and live-blogging capabilities.
If you can’t make it follow along with Lighthouse on Twitter and Nick from Let There Be Lighthouse. If any other Islanders bloggers are coming out to write, please post your links in Comments. With Greg Logan on vacation, my educated guess is the great Katie Strang will work it for Newsday.
Let us know if you’re coming out tomorrow.
Comments on the Lighthouse Project only. Please. Let everyone have their say without firing back at them. Please.
I recorded this Friday night on the pier in Freeport. With the Point Blank story growing longer legs than I thought it would (or ever intended), it was time to speak from the heart and urge everyone to get the focus back where it belongs.
Please watch the video, consider what I have to say and do me the huge favor of keeping to its message. Pass it around to your friends with blogs, message boards, Twitter pages, anything so as many people see it as possible. I can handle the cracks about how goofy it may be. Just please get the word out.
The Point Blank story must be put aside for a while. As I say in the video, if you want to help me and Point Blank, the best way is to make this week about the Lighthouse, leave the Islanders out of the PB discussion and let me figure out a solution by the end of August. My sincerest apologies for derailing the priorities.
The future of Point Blank is on me, not the Islanders. The future of the Islanders – an infinitely bigger story – is something you can take a leadership role in this week.
I’m attempting to line up a few promotional interviews on the Lighthouse rally-march-hearing and will keep you posted on a schedule.
If you have any questions for me about this video, drop me an email. Thank you for the consideration.
CB
Comments.
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