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December 26, 2008
After team folds, Fresno looks for someone to sue
Another lesson in spending public money in exchange for a team signing a long-term lease: The city of Fresno spent $5 million upgrading its Selland Arena last year in order to get the minor-league Fresno Falcons team to sign a 20-year lease. Barely a year later, the Falcons folded mid-season. Now the city is considering a lawsuit to recoup its lost $180,000 a year in Falcons rent payments.
Good luck with that. According to the Fresno Bee:
Brian Glover, a partner in Fresno Hockey Club, LLC, the Falcons' owner, on Tuesday evening said the owners will gladly sign over all of the team's assets to the city. He said those assets include the Falcons' ECHL league membership and a team van.
City attorney James Sanchez says his office is currently researching whether any investors in the Falcons might be subject to a lawsuit.
I live in Fresno, and this made the headline news. I've never been to a Fresno Falcons game, they would show the game recaps on the evening news. I'd always look in the back ground to see how many people where at the game over the years, and it was never even near filling the stadium. Fresno City has made some bad decisions with out money and it just shows.
Posted by Benjamin on January 3, 2009 08:58 PM