JG Excerpt:Implying that the county rejected the Snappers is wrong, and Snappers officials know this. But what exactly did the county reject, regarding the Snappers? Only the Gazette knows. But, the opening paragraph says it all. The Gazette writes….
(sub-title)
Despite county rejection, Snappers stay optimistic
JG Excerpt:I’m not going to rehash the land swap deal here, but when the wealthy buyers were asked to put their plan to the pavement with a guaranteed line of credit, they refused, the stadium and fairgrounds were not part of the deal. When high noon arrived we were told repeatedly by Fitzgerald, Hendricks, Watson and Mulder to forget everything else and just make the land deal, that it is a simple real estate transaction, nothing more, nothing less. But to this day, the Gazette continues to tie-in the stadium/fairgrounds despite comments and intentions to the contrary from everybody involved.
Terry Ryan didn’t want to have anything to do with the proposed Rock County land swap deal that would have paved the way for a potential 4-H fairgrounds and a baseball stadium along I-90 near Avalon Road for the Beloit Snappers.
After reading quotes from the Snappers management, it becomes evident through their optimism they are satisfied that the Rock County Board fully understands the teams situation. The Snappers seem to share the same trust I have for the county board, that they are fully engaged in local issue’s and will continue to protect the interests of the county in future efforts to build a new stadium or fairgrounds in Rock County. Everybody understands this except the Gazette.....and at least one of their admirers.
JG Sound Off Excerpt:
On Gazette: Although I disagree with 85 percent of Gazette editorials and many viewpoints in Sound Off, I praise the Gazette for being very well balanced and fair. It is one of the better papers inside and outside of the state. Keep doing a good job. -- Anonymous
8 comments:
Louis Kaye should stop drinking the county board Kool-Aid - the Gazette is dead-on right to say the County Board - and the town board in LaPrairie - killed the professional baseball in Rock County.
To suggest that the Snappers are "satisfied" with the results of the County Board is simply foolhearty nonsense. The Snappers were simply being polite.
Now, ask yourself, why would 3 local, highly successful businessmen propose such an ambitious public works project, essentially giving $45 million to the taxpayers of Rock COunty in exchange for what?
It is what rich people do when they are nearing the end of their business careers.
If it weren't for Andrew Carnegie, this nation would be short serval thousand libraries, especially, now, as the internet and home computers can do everything a bricks and mortar library can do at far less cost to taxpayers.
Wise-up Louis. You sound like the schmucks who masguerade as county supervisors charged with making wise economic decisions.
You are left with a taxpayer subsidized fair, no pro baseball, no hope of a NASCAR short track to replace Lake Geneva and Rockford, and no intangibles to attract new business and keep young people from leaving.
Hey, the dump will be axpanded to the county farm tho - and we are reducing nursing home beds.
Way to go Rock County.
You are mistaken, the three successful businessmen gave NOTHING to Rock County. If they wanted to leave a legacy, this would have been a great chance to do so, if that was their intention. They rejected the Snappers.
I recall a recent story about a wealthy businessman near Milwaukee who left $25 million with no strings attached - ANONYMOUSLY. But, this is not about rich people leaving a legacy. Great rant though.
Great rant? You are so naive. The first respondent understands what was being offered far beyond the jealous and suspicious members of the Rock County Board.
I can say with some certainty that the author of this blog does not read the Wall Street Journal. WSJ has run several articles describing how weathly donors have made significant financial commitments to various institutions and then see their financial situation change after the grip and grin photos have been published. The recieving institutions have then pursued lawsuits to recover the amounts promised by these gernerous benefactors.
I suspect that is why the 3 LOCAL buinsessmen would NEVER sign a contract for the $40 million gift the county was looking for.
Do your homework before simply beating-up on the Gazette or slamming the entreprenuers who create jobs and remain committed to their hometowns.
This was a project that nearly every taxpayer, from GM Local 95 autoworkers to 4-H clubs, supported and wanted to see become a reality.
The Rock County Board and the adminstration ki-boshed this for one reason - a deadline that they did not understand.
Who approached whom? A gift was never asked from the county, but the idea that a gift was embedded in the purchase price of the transaction was apparent. It was what it was, and its time to get over it and move forward.
If you think by exposing the Gazette's mission to undermine the county board is slamming them, so be it. A good newspaper prints the news, and doesn't try to stretch facts into lies to find blame.
That is what contracts are for - they help avoid lawsuits when verbal promises are broken.
I believe the County Board knew exactly what the deadline was and worked beyond what was expected of a county board to engage this proposal. They did an outstanding job, regardless of their politics.
As someone who lives in the only subdivision in LaPrairie Township, I followed this issue closer than nearly anyone else, including you, Mr. Kaye. You are simply wrong.
I supported the land swap and said so at both the town board and the county board meetings. When a town gets to pick their neighbors, that is all we can ask, given towns have no power to resist annexation.
A great neighbor is one that is not at home very often, as the fairgrounds and baseball stadium would have been empty at least 6 months of the year. Even if a small racetrack was snuck in there, they race in Rockford for 4 months, one night a week.
Now, because of no-nothings like you who have a cheese-on for the wealthy, my neighbors will surely be truck-stops, industrial buildings, and 24 hour safety lights.
The "gift" was a simple land swap and first $8.3m, then finally, $10.3m on top to balance the appraisals. THEN, private money would fund/finance the construction of a new fairgrouns, and the stadium.
Would someone make some money on that?? Yes, the tax-payers. Now we are stuck with more subsidies of the fair and a net loss when the Snappers leave.
I am a union democrat, but even I understand that wealthy businessmen know how to add to the economy better that you and 29 empty-headed county board supervisors who protect their turf like a baby cries when their blocks are taken away.
If you think that the sale of the land at Hwy.51/14 is a prerequisite to a new Snappers Stadium and fairgrounds without it being specifically listed as such in a contract – YOU are the naïve one. And if you happen to own a newspaper and repeatedly make that assumption, you are spreading misinformation.
I’ll take the signed contract obligations over the words of the buyers or spectators such as the Gazette anytime of the day.
I actually supported Fitzgerald at the beginning on this blog when he said "I just want to get the Snappers a stadium, nothing else matters" turn into "just make the land deal, nothing else matters." You and the other opposing commenters here should have stepped up to the plate for a portion of the line of credit request.
And until they say otherwise, I’ll take the words of Snappers management literally, just like I would take anybody else’s word at face value, and not misconstrue into whatever the Gazette says or someone’s imagination might want me to believe.
i cant believe you would defend the county board after the rock haven vote, they suck.
I’m only defending the county board for the governmental body that it is against forces that want to (such as newspaper)undermine their stature and foment opposition. I happen to agree with the 27 who voted against the land swap deal.
I don’t know enough about Rock Haven’s situation to offer a strong opinion on it except from what I know that seems to be common knowledge. That within the next 10 years, the oldest of the baby boomers will be approaching 70 and the county should be planning a fund for expanding nursing facilities, regardless of what the trends happen to be at the moment. With that, I disagree with the 17 who voted to downsize. But there is a lot more at play here, and they can still make changes in the future.
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