TLS Exclusive-Senator Singer On Blue Claws Stadium

well first of all the the uh blue Co management had contacted uh me uh last year to discuss the fact that they wanted to enlarge a stadium putting additional up between, 1500 2,000 seats at their expense um and it is expensive to do that they're going to have to reconfigure the stadium to be able to do that the the the issue the issue is that um uh in doing that they were looking to see if they could extend their lease they have a 20-year lease with the township 10 years has has gone by uh and there's another 10 years left so if they do nothing they still have another 10 years with with the lease um they want to want to go to a 30-year lease in additional 10 years to do the expense of increasing the stadium and we said we certainly look at that and IID asked the tangent attorney U Mr Bathgate to look into exactly the existing lease and uh what what we the potential for for an additional 10 years into that leas second is my understanding that the the the cost factor is approximately $100,000 a year not 25 I don't know where that came from and and and second law uh we have to understand how how uh the stadium came about uh we funded the entire stadium with Urban Enterprise money which are State dollars not local dollars no local tax dollars were used in this in this endeavor and now uh as of January 1st we have a a stadium that Lake withan of owns free and clear paid for by state tax dollars this money could not have been used um for purposes it couldn't gone into our budget we couldn't have used it for that it's not that kind of money it's Economic Development dollars and has special strings attached to it um so people it wouldn't have lowered your tax rate have we taken that money for that it wouldn't have changed a lot of different things we felt it was at the time uh the economic driver for Lakewood and I think it has been um we have gotten a very very wonderful uh Stadium we have wonderful reputation blue clo is a wonderful family oriented uh uh uh entertainment leg became a destination point um people talk about Lakewood and say what a wonderful Stadium it is how great it is we have an Affiliated team there are only three in the entire State and won't be anymore we're part of the Philadelphia filies franchise which is important because it's not a it's a it's a permanent farm league league which is here this year and every year so had we not had the uh Affiliated team we might not have had a success at the stadium and is the most successful stadium in the state of New Jersey which adds to other things it's right near our corporate Park it's a wonderful seller for our Industrial Park I'll bring your corporation here have uh have entertainment close by uh positive Spin and the blue CL has been a good corporate neighbor they've employed a lot of young people they've employed seniors in the area that do work at the stadium uh they've given discounts to many of our groups that that have asked for that uh both young and old within the area uh they've donated to many worthwhile causes they've held many fundraisers there we've used a stadium for many positive things like quit smoking for for young people and had all the schools from the region there so it's just been a good thing and a very positive thing and and I think the the dollar spend uh through the euz Zone were're positive Dollar spent uh and something that that is has has brought about I think a very positive thing for Le