Use arena funds to enclose Stambaugh Stadium at YSU

Use arena funds to encloseStambaugh Stadium at YSU
EDITOR:
I read with interest your recent articles on the continuing debate regarding how to use the federal funds allocated for a convocation center/sports arena and one on Congressman Tim Ryan's request that the community needs to & quot;think outside the box & quot; (with regard to economic development). Here's an & quot;outside-the-box & quot; suggestion: Use the funds as seed money to enclose Stambaugh Stadium. I believe the original intention was to build such an enclosed stadium.
It's a shame it didn't happen. A domed stadium/arena would have a tremendous number of uses from sporting events to major concerts. Such a facility could attract statewide high school football playoff games and high school and NCAA tournaments in soccer, basketball and other sports. YSU and local high school football games could be played without inclement weather concerns. Attractions, such as arena football, hockey, wrestling, motocross racing and others could be booked for this type of facility. It could also be used for major concerts, band competitions, circuses, rodeos and other events. It would seem easy to imagine 50,000 to 60,000 seats for concerts and other public gatherings where the field could be filled with chairs. A facility this large could be curtained down the middle, and two events could be held simultaneously. This is presently done at the UNI DOME at Northern Iowa University. I'm sure there would be more uses that others could suggest.
As for the practical questions of engineering and expense, I'm sure there are local resource people who could answer these questions. The cost might not be as great as one would first think. We already have parking lots, many of the seats needed, concession areas and other facilities.
Finally, the one thing that makes this suggestion different than the rest is that it wouldn't be a small version of what our neighbors already have. An enclosed facility of this scale would attract from Akron, Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus and Pittsburgh as well as the local area. The size of it could foster the development of convention facilities, hotels, restaurants, service stations, etc. that a 5,000- to 10,000-seat facility would not. I feel it also has the potential to attract contributors (how about first crack at a certain number of tickets for every event based on the amount of the contribution) and private partners (franchises for arena football, hockey, etc.) that the other proposals would not.
There is currently a waiting list for the loges in Stambaugh Stadium as it exists now for just football. What would be the interest in loges in an enclosed stadium that held other events?
It has taken a long time for me to suggest this because it certainly is & quot;outside the box, & quot; but ponder the possibilities before rejecting it out of hand.
DARYL MINCEY
Youngstown
Proposal for Beeghly Centermakes good business sense
EDITOR:
This letter is to show full support for Youngstown Mayor George McKelvey and YSU President David Sweet's proposal to expand the Beeghly Center and make it into a convocation center. This is the only proposal that makes any sense.
Finalizing a deal with a private investor is unlikely. Smart business people don't invest in white elephants. Too bad that some of the money has been spent on land that may become useless. That is water over the dam.
This writer attended Youngstown College, a long time ago. To see the university as it is now compared with then is like day and night and a pleasure, indeed.
The land is there. The parking is there. The security is there. GO FOR IT. To split the money is just good business. Many projects can be aided or accomplished by not putting all our eggs in one basket.
The support for the expansion should receive full community support.
ROBERT THORNTON
Austintown
Skip the Beeghly proposal;area needs a larger facility
EDITOR:
I believe Mayor George McKelvey is trying to force his own agenda on the city council and the people of Youngstown and Mahoning County.
In the Youngstown area, we already have facilities for entertainment that seat 2,000 to 5,000 people. I don't believe we need another such building. We should go ahead and build a convocation center that will house at least 10,000 people. Many events could be held in the Mahoning Valley rather than Cleveland or Pittsburgh arenas. When that many folks come to an event, businesspeople will see to it that accommodations will be made for food, lodging, etc. The revitalization of downtown will come because of it.
So far as the Beeghly Center, let YSU President David Sweet go to the people whose name is on the building and ask them for help in expanding their legacy. Furthermore, a great majority of the folks who will attend these events will be middle aged and over and will have a difficult time walking the hills around the university.
DONALD RENZENBRINK
Poland
Jurisdiction issues shouldn't stop public servants from protecting and serving
EDITOR:
The house that caught fire Jan. 15 in McKinley Heights was my father's rental property. I was in disbelief when the Niles Fire Department arrived on the scene and refused to extinguish the fire. The house burned while the renters stood in the cold watching their belongings go up in smoke. I stood watching the Niles Fire Department watch the house burn. The house burned for 20 minutes before the Weathersfield Fire Department arrived to finally extinguish the flames.
The renters lost most of their belongings and did not have insurance. The house damage far exceeds the amount of insurance that was carried -- the house will have to be demolished. Those precious 20 minutes could have saved most of the renters' belongings and the house.
I wonder how those firefighters would feel if it had happened to one of them. Would they be so understanding as to watch their lifelong belongings go up in smoke while a fire department states "this isn't our jurisdiction?"
I wonder how understanding my patients or families would be if I -- as a registered nurse -- would tell one of them, "Sorry, you're not my patient tonight" -- while they go into cardiac arrest. I believe that for public servants -- firefighters, police, nurses, etc. -- there are no boundaries or jurisdictions.
DOREEN R. SVARNY
Girard
Residents of old industrial areas should take a lesson from Gephardt's loss in Iowa
EDITOR:
Dick Gephardt was shocked by his stunning loss in the Iowa caucus. Gephardt had the support of many unionized labor groups, yet the Missouri lawmaker was crushed, finishing a disappointing fourth.
This should tell us something.
Folks in the Youngstown-Pittsburgh region must realize that the Iowa results are a microcosm of the country.
Free trade, profit sharing and open markets are the future; unions are largely a relic of the Cold War era and best left behind.
Our region has a proud history of producing steel.
Yet to move forward, we must discard old economic models, and embrace change. We can do this by inviting high tech companies to relocate here, making the area more business friendly and reducing taxes on companies.
We must realize what Iowans apparently already know: Labor unions -- and their anointed political candidates -- are wrong for the Information Age.
JASON C. REEHER
Grove City, Pa.