ORCHARD PARK - Ralph Wilson Stadium (73,967)

[isaidso]

Nice lego project!

[JJG]

Originally Posted by eMKay

Check this out...

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/art...1-80c185a38686

That's really good..... but when are they gonna do this renovation?

[eMKay]

The team and county are negotiating that right now, as part of the lease. The lease will be done by the end of the season, I don't know for sure when construction will start, but I would assume after the end of this coming season.

[eMKay]

Yeah, I dunno about this, we'll see tomorrow. If it's legit I'll start a thread in Proposed.

http://buffalo.ynn.com/content/top_s...eased-tuesday/

[RMB2007]

New thread for it:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1556852

[eMKay]

There are a few holes, there was a major accident blocking one of the major highways leading to the stadium, it made my 8 minute commute home a 40 minute commute Game was sold out





Credit :Christine King, local fan...

http://www.hergamelife.com/2012/11/b...uish-the-fish/

[eMKay]

Went today, crappy team in a small city but we still sell the place out and put up a great atmosphere.

[JJG]

I saw the stadium personally in 2001 and was kind of taken back at its location. It was weird seeing a big(ish) NFL stadium in the middle of a small suburban neighborhood.

I would say the same for Cowboys Stadium, but Orchard Park, NY and Arlington, TX are two different worlds, even for suburbs...

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by JJG

I saw the stadium personally in 2001 and was kind of taken back at its location. It was weird seeing a big(ish) NFL stadium in the middle of a small suburban neighborhood.

I would say the same for Cowboys Stadium, but Orchard Park, NY and Arlington, TX are two different worlds, even for suburbs...

Well it's not like it's in the middle of nowhere, it's only 4 miles from the city border (6 miles from my house which is in the city)

[JJG]

Originally Posted by eMKay

Well it's not like it's in the middle of nowhere, it's only 4 miles from the city border (6 miles from my house which is in the city)

I know.

But I think we both know that their are some major differences between the two.

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by JJG

I know.

But I think we both know that their are some major differences between the two.

Yeah, there is one difference, where it is access is super easy and there is plenty of parking. Wouldn't be the same if it were in the city.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by eMKay

Yeah, there is one difference, where it is access is super easy and there is plenty of parking. Wouldn't be the same if it were in the city.

And you also have a MLB park down the street with theme parks and and located in a sprawled out area sandwiched in between two major cities...

But you get the idea.

[yatesrinaldo1]

wasn't there are huge crowd at Michigan St

[JJG]

Can we get these damn spammers off this forum, please?

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by JJG

And you also have a MLB park down the street with theme parks and and located in a sprawled out area sandwiched in between two major cities...

But you get the idea.

Oh, sorry I thought you were comparing Orchard Park and Arlington to stadiums in cities, not to each other. There isn't much to the south and east but north and west is all metro area. If it were in the northern suburbs the comparison would be closer.

I don't think I posted this in this thread, but the team and county failed to come to terms on a long term lease, they agreed to a 1 year lease and continue to discuss renovation or replacement options. And with infrastructure improvements ongoing at the site of the proposed new stadium, things are looking up for a new stadium, but nobody is releasing anything, and Ralph is as usual, silent.

[JJG]

Originally Posted by eMKay

Oh, sorry I thought you were comparing Orchard Park and Arlington to stadiums in cities, not to each other. There isn't much to the south and east but north and west is all metro area. If it were in the northern suburbs the comparison would be closer.

I don't think I posted this in this thread, but the team and county failed to come to terms on a long term lease, they agreed to a 1 year lease and continue to discuss renovation or replacement options. And with infrastructure improvements ongoing at the site of the proposed new stadium, things are looking up for a new stadium, but nobody is releasing anything, and Ralph is as usual, silent.

I was wondering about that. I knew there was supposed to be some renovation, but when?

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by JJG

I was wondering about that. I knew there was supposed to be some renovation, but when?

Hopefully never, I'm hoping for a new stadium. I like the Ralph but a renovation would just be a patch job for another 10 years. Looking around the place yesterday and structurally it looks fine, but the concourses are cramped, the bathrooms are tiny, the beer selection is awful (there is good stuff around, but you have to find it).

The only good thing about it is the actual seating area, suites, and electronics, all that stuff has been redone, and the sightlines remain awesome from everywhere. The top of the upper deck is closer to the field than just about every stadium in the league, and they still managed to squeeze in 164 luxury suites (those all too, closer to the field than most stadiums) but the innards need redoing, and that is the plan with this renovation.

[RMB2007]

How much involvement do the rest of the Wilson family currently have with the Bills?

[eMKay]

Originally Posted by RMB2007

How much involvement do the rest of the Wilson family currently have with the Bills?

He has three daughters, two of which who worked for the team (one died in 2009) currently one daughter and a niece work for the team.

[RMB2007]

Bills agree to 10-year lease deal, keeping team here

State, county and team negotiators have struck a final deal a 10-year lease with a hefty relocation penalty if the Bills leave – to keep the Bills from delivering an economic and psychological blow to Western New York by shipping out to another city, officials with direct knowledge of the talks said this morning in an interview with The Buffalo News.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the deal would be announced at an 11 a.m. press conference at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was scheduled to attend but was unable to fly from Albany because of weather conditions. County Executive Mark Poloncarz and Buffalo Bills executives will be at the press conference and Cuomo will be on speaker phone, officials said.

The deal comes after months of secret meetings between the sides over what officials have described as complex terms involving a team whose owner, Ralph Wilson, has made past commitments to stay in Buffalo but is getting old and has had health problems in the past year or so.

The terms of the deal last for 10 years.

The Bills would have to pay a $400 million relocation penalty if they leave during the time of the lease – with one exception. In the seventh year of the contract they could pull out with only a $29 million penalty.

The $400 million is more than the state has provided the team in incentives to remain going back to 1998 during the administration of Gov. George E. Pataki, who also cut his own agreement to keep the team from leaving.

The official with direct knowledge of the negotiations who briefed The Buffalo News on the agreement said $130 million will be spent on a range of renovations at the aging stadium. Of that, the Bills will kick in $35 million, which is different from past deals with the state that included no team contribution. The state and county will share the remaining $95 million renovation costs, though it is uncertain how much precisely will be coming from both government entities.

Word of the deal comes just days after The Buffalo News reported “significant’’ talks were held this past week between the state, county and team negotiators. Gone also, Poloncarz told The News earlier this week, was talk of maybe cutting a one-year deal to push off the complicated matters until next year.

At least with Bills fans, the deal will give Cuomo a major political victory in Western New York, which he did not carry in his first gubernatorial campaign two years ago. Cuomo said in an interview earlier this fall that keeping the team in Buffalo was a top priority for his administration, and he personally became involved in the negotiations on and off in recent months.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs...121229867/1109