Comments on: On the record as a naysayer: The dome? Not a good idea.

By: Deon

Deon — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:56:01 +0000

jamesagain,

Forgive me, but a county printer has relatively little to do with Birmingham's finances or its pursuit of a multipurpose facility.

By: jamesagain

jamesagain — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:26:39 +0000

The other day when I was researching records at Jeffco Probate Court, their one printer malfunctioned. They told me they could not replace the parts because the county refused them the necessary $300.

LET'S BUILD A DOME!!!

By: Carlton Wood

Carlton Wood — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:09:11 +0000

For someone who has devoted so much time to understanding the issue, you certainly dispatched the BJCC expansion quickly with a very superficial argument, "it makes no sense to build a stadium when we don’t have a team to play in it."

You support building needed convention space like McCormack Place in Chicago. Of course, Chicago has Soldier Field for football and the United Center for basketball as well. In Birmingham, we don't have two modern and updated facilities for basketball and football, so it makes sense that the BJCC expansion be a "multi-purpose facility" that can be used several different ways.

For several weeks of the year the new building will be used for convention space. Six Saturdays every fall it will be used for UAB football. This new facility would also be used for mainstays like the Magic City Classic and the Papa Johns Bowl. Birmingham has already lost the Super Six and other events because Legion Field simply needs to be torn down. Without a new home for these events, we'll lose even more of them soon.

Of course UAB football has struggled! When you play your home games several miles off campus in an aging and deteriorating stadium in a tough part of town, that is what we call "an uphill battle." A new home for UAB football closer to campus and adjacent to other cultural and entertainment venues would likely help UAB's gate a good bit and give the program a much-needed jolt of energy.

Birmingham could also be more aggressive in joining the rotation for the Conference USA and SEC basketball tournaments. And, instead of only vying to be the site for the occasional first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, Birmingham could join the rotation for subsequent rounds and possibly even the Final Four with a new and larger basketball arena.

The bottom line is that this region in Alabama needs a healthy and vibrant downtown Birmingham. Investing in a public building that will host large conventions, sporting events, concerts etc. is an investment that will solidify bars, restaurants, hotels and countless other businesses in and around downtown.

I agree with you that it was a shame MAPS didn't pass over ten years ago. In the subsequent ten years, Legion Field and the existing basketball arena at BJCC have become older, more run down and more out-of-date. We need the BJCC expansion even more now than we did ten years ago.

By: SBurks

SBurks — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:42:07 +0000

We can't support a domed stadium, heck, we can't even support a football team! We need to clean up the crime and corruption in Bham before anything else can go forward!

By: philipgriffith

philipgriffith — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:08:29 +0000

Thank You! This is a moronic idea and another move by La-La to give the appearance he is here doing good. I was proud to have taken the time to go down there and protest that nonsense. The sooner we get rid of Langford, the better off Fairfield, I mean Birmingham, will be.

By: deongordon

deongordon — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:58:14 +0000

Taking the position of a naysayer if fine, but I can't help but notice the other factors surrounding this debate that were seemingly ignored. Legion Field's dilapidation, UAB's desire/need for more modern and marketable facilities (additionally, the Blazers don't play football in downtown Birmingham), the prospect of losing additional sporting events, etc. I'm not curious about your position, just how you chose to support it.