2014-01-11-dn-subasket27.JPG
There were 32,000 fans at the Carrier Dome for the Syracuse- North Carolina basketball game Saturday.
(By Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Syracuse-area political leaders are buzzing with rumors of a plan for a new sports facility in the city.
Those with knowledge of the plans are being cagey and describe the plans as preliminary. Some point to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney as leaders of the effort. Mahoney would not make herself available for comment Friday, but her chief of staff texted that she might have something to say this week.
Others point to Rob Simpson, president of CenterState CEO and a co-chair of Cuomo's Regional Economic Development Council. CenterState spokesman Kevin Schwab returned a call for Simpson and said he was unaware of plans for a new sports arena.
Mayor Stephanie Miner, who has asked the governor for state help for basic bricks and mortar repairs to roads and water mains, would not comment on rumors of state funding for a sports stadium.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo with Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney at Onondaga Community College.
Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, said he has heard talk about the possibility of a multi-million-dollar facility at the demolished Kennedy Square housing project - 14 acres of state property on East Fayette Street. DeFrancisco said he has not been approached in an official capacity and has no first-hand knowledge of the plan.
The former Kennedy Square public housing complex site, located off East Fayette Street, east of downtown, is being considered for a new sports arena in Syracuse, according to political sources.
The former site of the Kennedy Square public housing complex is owned by Upstate University Medical Center. Upstate announced in 2011 that it would team up with a private company, COR Development, to redevelop 10 acres of the former Kennedy Square site, which is sandwiched between East Fayette and East Water streets. The Kennedy Square site is now vacant except for the new $24 million Central New York Biotech Accelerator, an incubator for startup biotech businesses.
The rumor mill says a new stadium would be built with a combination of government and private funding. It could benefit Syracuse University basketball and football. It could benefit hockey. It could attract big-name concerts. There are details as specific as the cost. They are shooting for a 40,000 seat venue. It could have a retractable roof. There could be a parking garage.
It is welcome news to the biggest sports teams in Syracuse, but their leaders too provided no information.
Syracuse University Athletic Director Daryl Gross said he has always been looking for ways to upgrade the facilities, particularly the Carrier Dome.
"So nothing has changed on that front for me," Gross said. "The thing is, if people work together, who knows what can get done? All I can tell you is that good people have been working very hard on this."
By the end of this academic year, SU's football, men's basketball and men's lacrosse teams will have played 34 seasons apiece in the Dome, which cost $27 million to build and opened in 1980.
The Dome was initially the talk of the college athletic world - and remains a celebrated basketball venue that has now served as host to 74 crowds of 30,000 and more, including Saturday's throng of 32,121 for the game with North Carolina. But the Dome is considered by some to be antiquated. The Carrier Dome can seat 49,262 for football.
Other university officials had no comment or did not respond to inquiries about whether there is are plans to rebuild or renovate the Dome. Richard L. Thompson, chairman of the SU board of trustees, and SU spokesman Kevin Quinn, had no comment. Incoming chancellor Kent Syverud did not respond.
Syracuse Crunch owner Howard Dolgon, whose team plays 38 regular-season games a season in the county-owned War Memorial, said he was unaware of any specific plans for a new facility. While he keeps in touch with Mahoney regularly, he said he hasn't broached that topic with her for several months.
"I know that Joanie has been a proponent of a new facility,'' he said Saturday night. "I've always believed if anyone could get it done, Joanie would be the driving force.
"They (county leaders) were driving the train. I don't think it's a secret, there's been a need for a facility in the marketplace. Well before we came to town 20 years ago, people talked about it.''
The War Memorial seats about 6,200 for hockey. Dolgon said Syracuse in general could use a new facility that seats between 8,000 and 11,000.
"How many concerts pass the market? How many special events?'' he said. "Listen, going into a new building would be exciting for everybody. It becomes a centerpiece for the community.''
Onondaga County Legislator Linda Ervin said she also heard the rumors, but had no first-hand knowledge. She said there are a lot of questions to be answered about using government money for a stadium when there are other pressing needs.
"If these rumors are true, it's a back door kind of negotiation that nobody's hearing about," she said. "At some point, there's going to need to be a new stadium for SU, but I don't know if now is the time."
Ryan McMahon, chair of the Onondaga County Legislature, texted a reporter to ask why she was calling, then did not respond.
There was no response from Cuomo's office.
Staff Writers Bud Poliquin, Lindsay Kramer, Dave Tobin and Teri Weaver contributed to this report. Contact Michelle Breidenbach at (315) 470-3186, mbreidenbach@syracuse.com or follow on Twitter @mbreidenbach.