As I start to get back to blogging about things that don’t involve campaigns or votes, here’s a reminder from Chron soccer writer Glenn Davis that we’re still waiting for some action on the mythical Dynamo Stadium.
So what is the holdup with the stadium in our diverse city?
Surely Hurricane Ike and the election have slowed things down.
The city of Houston and Mayor Bill White have done their job, having secured land by Minute Maid Park.
Now it is up to Harris County officials, including commissioners Sylvia Garcia and El Franco Lee, to not miss out on this golden opportunity by making a decision on a new midsized stadium that not only would benefit soccer but other sports and constituents in our community.
Still, the value of a stadium has been overlooked in this process by many outside the soccer community.
The county will decide on $10 million that is needed to get the ball in motion. A number that is only a fraction of the costs that went into other stadiums.
The issue was brought to Commissioners Court back in August. I’ve lost track of what deadlines, if any, may still be in play. I suppose the Dynamo are biding their time and either hoping for the best or exploring other options. Of which there may not be so many now, thanks to the lousy economy and tight credit market. Perhaps now that County Judge Ed Emmett has put his re-election behind him, he’ll be willing to pay attention to stuff like this that presumably wasn’t that high on his priority list before.
Exactly what “other sports and constituents in our community” would a Dynamo stadium serve? Concession vendors, parking lot owners? ‘Tis merely more corporate welfare – money taken from taxpayers to benefit wealthy team owners.