The Yankees and Mets have new stadiums. The Jets and the Giants have one, too. The Devils have a new building in Newark; Madison Square Garden is undergoing a major renovation; and a new arena is rising in Brooklyn for the Nets. And then there’s the Islanders, still stuck in decrepit old Nassau Coliseum. The much-discussed Lighthouse Project — which would have included a renovated arena for the Islanders — never came to fruition. And though the team has said it will honor its lease, which runs through 2015 — and although owner Charles Wang has said he wants to keep the team on Long Island — there’s a reason Rangers fans have added taunts of “Kan-sas City” to their anti-Islanders repertoire.
Which brings us to tomorrow, when Nassau County executive Edward P. Mangano will announce a plan to build “a world-class sports-entertainment destination center,” as well as plans to “pursue the construction of an Indian gaming casino.” Beyond that, the specifics are not yet known, though a Newsday report about support for a casino at Belmont Park said that the county also “appears to be close to working out a plan to develop the Coliseum minus a casino in a proposal that could be put to voters this summer.” From that report:
Two people with knowledge of the deal said a bond referendum for as much as $400 million is being contemplated, and could include redevelopment of the Coliseum and a minor-league baseball field at Mitchel Field.
In any case, we’ll find out tomorrow exactly what the county is planning to do — but it’s a safe bet the Islanders are involved. Owner Charles Wang is expected to attend; the announcement is posted on the team’s website; and a “Notice to Islanders fans” mentions that the event — taking place at the Coliseum — is open to the public. Those Islanders fans deserve a better building than the one they’ve got — really, no one deserves to watch their home games in that place — but there’s a difference between announcing plans for a new or renovated building (again, assuming that’s part of tomorrow’s event) and getting the thing built. Writes Lighhouse Hockey:
Two people with knowledge of the deal said a bond referendum for as much as $400 million is being contemplated, and could include redevelopment of the Coliseum and a minor-league baseball field at Mitchel Field.
But this is all getting a little ahead of things. We’ll know a lot more tomorrow — both in terms of the plans and who’s going to pay for it all.