Republican county mayor nominee Weston Wamp said he is a strong advocate for development of the Wheland site, but he said the idea of a community stadium needs to be fully vetted.
He said, "Let me be clear, I look forward to seeing the Wheland site developed as much as anyone.
I live five minutes from it, pass it at least twice a day and would love for my children to enjoy its potential amenities as they grow up.
"Several of my closest friends and biggest supporters are among the local Lookouts team owners hoping to see a new stadium built, but as I have explained to them, the proposed stadium on the Wheland site is being rushed in a haphazard manner when compared to how Knoxville has handled its very similar stadium project. Rising interest rates and unpredictable costs of construction continue to pose challenges for their stadium and we will encounter the same issues.
"The public remains highly skeptical of taxpayer funding for a new Lookouts stadium, but since elected officials and some loyal Lookouts fans are interested in another minor league stadium, we should emulate Randy Boyd's transparent approach to proposing a new $80 million stadium in Knoxville. It's a city/county partnership between a liberal city mayor and a conservative county mayor with many similarities including a $1 million annual lease agreement, an estimated $10 million donation of private property, potential multi-sport use, and creation of a sports authority.
"Among the differences are that Smokies' owner Randy Boyd personally committed $5.8 million in contingency cash for construction costs and overages while securing $13.5 million of state investment. The Chattanooga proposal includes $0 in private upfront capital investment and failed to secure state funding due to lack of specifics and private investment. Three of the key decision makers in the decision were Hamilton County’s own Senate Finance Chairman Bo Watson, Senator Todd Gardenhire and House Finance Chairwoman Patsy Hazelwood. Further, Randy Boyd has contractually guaranteed $142 million in private investment adjacent to their new stadium.
But the most significant difference is that Knoxville and Knox County did right by taxpayers with a transparent process over two years, allowing for public meetings, a thorough economic impact report, and building support that led to $13.5 million in state funding. Even so, the Knoxville project has recently been delayed due to rising interest rates and costs of construction.
"Here is the Knoxville timeline:
- August 2020 - Randy Boyd proposes development with detailed plans and renderings
- December 2020 - Creation of Sports Authority which held 13 public meetings in 2021, another 18 in 2022
- April 2021 - Mayors jointly appoint seven members of Sports Authority
- May 2021 - Randy Boyd secured $13.5 million in state funding for stadium
- August 2021 - Sports Authority releases 52-page economic impact study
- August 2021 - Stadium Cost Estimate Raised from $65 million to $80 million
- November 2021 - Knox County Commission & City Council approve stadium
- February 2022 - Sports Authority approves bond issuance for stadium
- April 2022 - Project delayed due to rising costs again. 2025 projected completion.
By comparison, last week in Chattanooga we saw a presentation for an $80 million stadium that included one sketch and several bullet points summarizing the financing structure and revenue projections for the site. Unlike the Knoxville plans, which transparently proposed the local soccer team using their new stadium, it remains unknown if the Chattanooga Football Club intends to use a new Chattanooga stadium if built. CFC’s exit could jeopardize Finley Stadium’s solvency.
It appears that elected officials hope to cram much of what was a 14-month transparent process in Knoxville into two months right as county government will be preparing for its first full transition in 28 years. But, there's no excuse for avoiding proper due diligence in order to rush the stadium proposal to a vote.
"I recognize that the team owners and site developers would rather not deal with public scrutiny and would prefer a frictionless approval process, but that is not what is best for taxpayers or politicians. In Knoxville, their measured, transparent approach has included this 52-page economic impact report. Commissioning a similar report would be a responsible first step in a very complex process.
"If I’m elected county mayor four weeks from today, I will be a strong advocate for development of the Wheland site as well as the much more advanced “Bend” development just to its north. But this stadium is among the largest publicly funded proposals in our community’s history and it warrants a proper, thorough vetting.
"Mayor Coppinger has been a tireless public servant to our community and will unquestionably be given credit for a new Lookouts Stadium if and when it is built, but I encourage he and his team to study the situation in Knoxville and slow the process down here in Chattanooga."