Rocky told just-inaugurated Mayor Ralph Becker, "The city ought to grab that [offer] in a heartbeat . . .."
We have just a few words of advice for Becker, to add to the many he has received from Anderson: In matters involving RSL, get it in writing.
It seems a bit odd that the former mayor would push so hard for Becker to jump into a deal with RSL owner Dave Checketts. We seem to remember that Anderson described Checketts in some less-than-complimentary terms when Checketts chose to build his 20,000-seat stadium in Sandy rather than Salt Lake City and then appeared to renege on a promise to locate an elite soccer academy in the capital.
More recently, RSL attached a list of conditions - including naming rights and profits from concessions - to $7.5 million it had promised to provide Salt Lake City toward the soccer complex, and Anderson again erupted. The former mayor fumed that the money had been part of a deal brokered by him, Sandy Mayor Tom Dolan and key legislators to give RSL $35 million in public funds for its $110 million stadium.
Now, Checketts apparently is ready to cough up another $15 million - although the source of this money is unknown - and renew his promise to put the academy in Salt Lake City. The cash would help the city buy property to add more soccer fields and four baseball diamonds as well as build the soccer academy at the site of the complex. But there are strings attached.
Checketts wants to operate the complex and collect revenue from concessions, naming rights and parking. In short, he wants to run another publicly funded private enterprise. Salt Lake voters approved a $15.3 million bond in 2003 for the city complex, advertised as a mecca for recreational soccer for players of all ages and income levels, not a practice field for the pros.
Becker should beware putting the project in Checketts' hands. It's not a matter of holding grudges. There is, however, a valuable lesson to be drawn from experience: In dealing with Real Salt Lake, get any sort of promise in the form of a contract, so city taxpayers know exactly what they would be getting and when.
Why take a risk?
