W(h)ither...... Driller Stadium?

[JeffM]

So, how long before they bulldoze it just like they did to Bells Amusement Park....?    

http://www.urbantulsa.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A33458

County Commissioner Fred Perry, who serves as chairman of the Driller Stadium Property Marketing Committee, said his group began targeting potential developers of the site over the summer with a letter advising them of the availability of the site and continues to send the letter to other developers every week.

"We've sent letters to developers making them aware of our proposal to make the site at 15th and Yale available for development, but we've explained to them it has to be unique, that it couldn't be just a shopping center and a hotel," Perry said.

[Townsend]

his group began targeting potential developers of the site over the summer with a letter advising them of the availability of the site and continues to send the letter to other developers every week.

Sending letters every week is not much of a campaign.

[sgrizzle]

Sending letters every week is not much of a campaign.

Don't go confusing the simple folk.

[we vs us]

Sending letters every week is not much of a campaign.

Agreed, agreed and agreed. As someone who lives in the neighborhood and who has a vested interest in seeing it responsibly developed, that's a piss poor marketing effort (and, I dare say, starting to seem a common thread in Tulsa's general business development efforts).  

I'm not asking for the place to bulldozed tomorrow, but knowing that the committee tasked with soliciting development bids is actually beating the pavement for interest is important.  It's a significant piece of future revenue that the city could be exploiting, but if we've mounted a letter-sending campaign to move the ball forward . . . well, good freaking luck.

/frustrational rant

[swake]

Agreed, agreed and agreed. As someone who lives in the neighborhood and who has a vested interest in seeing it responsibly developed, that's a piss poor marketing effort (and, I dare say, starting to seem a common thread in Tulsa's general business development efforts).  

I'm not asking for the place to bulldozed tomorrow, but knowing that the committee tasked with soliciting development bids is actually beating the pavement for interest is important.  It's a significant piece of future revenue that the city could be exploiting, but if we've mounted a letter-sending campaign to move the ball forward . . . well, good freaking luck.

/frustrational rant

Well, to be fair, it's the county and not the city. Not that I would expect much more out of Dewey.

[Gaspar]

I don't know a developer that would touch that corner with a 100' pole. . .Not for at least 5 more years.

1.  100% chance of neighbors hating whatever you propose.
2.  100% chance of massive cost over-runs based on trying to make everyone happy.
3.  100% chance of noise complaints, even if you just plant a tree.
4.  100% chance of a union protest because of the site visibility, unless you hire union (see #2).

This is my opinion, and I hate to say it, but that property will have to sit vacant for a while until ANY development is viable.  There will need to be at least half a dozen concept failures before the site will welcome development, and even then there will be the standard "Historic/Nostalgic Element" protests to contend with. Whoever decides to develop there will have to be willing to pour a ton of money into it, and maintain some pretty sharp chopps, because it's going to be a hell of a fight.

It would be better if the county just dedicated it as a park and get a private company to purchase naming rights to pay for maintenance as part of the deal.  They could call it QuikTrip Park and have walking trails and bronze statues of famous TulsaNow forum posters.

[Townsend]

I'd assumed something had come about when the tire place across the intersection closed after decades.

With the massive letter writing program, apparently I was wrong.

[Conan71]

Well, to be fair, it's the county and not the city. Not that I would expect much more out of Dewey.

What ever happened on the issue of the city collecting sales taxes on the fairgrounds?

[inteller]

Gaspar sounds like a perfect project for a class A ahole like JB Jr.

[JeffM]

FYI.... check out 1:06 to 1:30 in this youtube clip for 1985 highlights from Drillers Stadium....

[Conan71]

Jeff, any luck lately on the new Roughnecks venture?

[swake]

What ever happened on the issue of the city collecting sales taxes on the fairgrounds?

I think that's done. Wasn't the water fee part of that?

[Conan71]

I think that's done. Wasn't the water fee part of that?

Not sure.  I know we waived the requirement during the Arabian Show as they balked at the idea after they'd signed their contract.

I met Lance Walters, the president of the AHA, a few weeks ago and he said they've been more than happy with Tulsa.  I'd like to see Tulsa steal the AQHA show from OKC.  That's going on right now and I believe might bring in even more $$ than the Arabians.

[we vs us]

Not sure.  I know we waived the requirement during the Arabian Show as they balked at the idea after they'd signed their contract.

I met Lance Walters, the president of the AHA, a few weeks ago and he said they've been more than happy with Tulsa.  I'd like to see Tulsa steal the AQHA show from OKC.  That's going on right now and I believe might bring in even more $$ than the Arabians.

I don't know this for sure, but I assume something that size would require a huge upfront bid fee from the city to acquire.  Not that that's NOT doable, but the city would have to actually have the $100k (or whatever) to plunk down to get the business. 

And that's just the first barrier to entry.  They also have to like Tulsa, too.

[JeffM]

Jeff, any luck lately on the new Roughnecks venture?

I really felt like at some point a few weeks after the World Cup, somebody would have shown some serious interest and would have coordinated some kind of effort.... didn't really matter if it included me or not.... money talks, something else walks......

That said, my few meetings last spring/summer with county officials, and with individuals who live blocks from the stadium, and soccer people out at the Empire bar, Fox & Hound, etc., etc., have me feeling positive for this idea at some point in the not-too-distant future... provided the stadium is still standing....

1.  SOCCER WAS THE BIG WINNER in the survey Fred Perry offered to citizens over a year ago....  http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20091130_16_A1_Drille458395

2.  People who live in the area of the fairgrounds have, by and large, been very supportive of my desire to attract a pro soccer team to the old ballpark... when educated about the 15-20 home dates required for an NASL team, those people I spoke with really liked the idea and hoped this would leave the stadium available for more concerts and other non-sports events  than was the case when the Drillers played there....

3.  The pro soccer idea has been politically palatable and desirable to county officials and some of their staff who, alas, would rather passively cheer me on than do anything proactive on their part to attract local investors....

4.  League officials from the NASL have been very interested in identifying any kind of financially stable and committed local ownership group to use the old ballpark as home for a pro soccer team... and if the franchise is successful, commit to a soccer specific stadium somewhere in/around Tulsa.... west bank of the river?... Jenks Riverwalk?... East End?....

5.  The occasional supportive email to yours truly at TulsaRoughnecks.com... international intrigue, eh?.....  
"NASL was lost and all teams are winners of American soccer revived. This is not the time to tulsa?, oklahoma have to unite for the show and memories resurface."
cristian keipert, buenos aires argentina 8/9/2010

I've been given enough "atta-boy's" in the last year to really make things depressing for me these days..... when somebody eggs you on to sell the idea of an NASL franchise to folks at the Tulsa Club or , yet nobody wants to have any "skin in the game," it makes me wonder..... Cameron-Box Sports seemingly has no desire to see pro soccer share the summer media spotlight with the WNBA Shock and the AFL-1 Talons... there was already grumbling of a lack of local corporate support from the Talons' office last spring... my salespitch to Cameron-Box Sports fell flat because they told me the fairgrounds soccer proposition needed "additional revenue streams" -- aka corporate suites, etc... available at the new arena and new ballpark but missing from the old Drillers Stadium....

In the meantime, the same pro soccer league that bought the rights to use "North American Soccer League" including the old logo and last year secured trademark rights to the use the nickname "Roughnecks" for soccer promotion purposes, has recently announced a 2012 expansion team for San Antonio.
http://www.nasl.com/article/san-antonio-name-the-team-contest

So, with the NASL's offices and staff in Miami, FL.... where is Noel Lemon?
And where are the people who could attract interest in a Tulsa Roughnecks team playing at an 11k capacity stadium at the fairgrounds against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the next few years?  It's not like we're trying to bring back the Brooklyn Dodgers?... or is it?

This much I can tell you.... if Tulsa's corporate donors had invested half the money, time and effort they spent in pursuit of a WNBA team at the urging of Kathy Taylor, then paying an expansion fee rumored to be around $6mil..... well, IMHO, an NASL team in Tulsa could have been much more successful due to grassroots support and the potential expansion and marketing of that support....

So, I guess we'll just have to wait for the demise of the Shock or the demotion of the Talons to AFL-2? before the seed money or corporate sponsorships will be there for a high level pro soccer team to come to Tulsa... and by that time, I fear the stadium will be leveled to make way for a Super-sized Chuck E. Cheese with ample surface parking....  

/rant.