Corpus Christi Caller Times Caller.com - Valley's planned WPHL team held up by arena difficulties

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Sunday, November 7, 1999

Valley's planned WPHL team held up by arena difficulties
Building expansion hikes construction costs to $30 million
By Mark Button
Caller-Times

The folks in Hidalgo and the Rio Grande Valley will have to wait another year for hockey.
   Originally slated to start play in the Western Professional Hockey League's 2000-01 season, inflated building costs have pushed the franchise's inception back to the 2001-02 season.
   International Coliseums, Inc., a subsidiary of the WPHL, had planned on building a multi-purpose facility with a maximum capacity of 6,000 of WPHL games for around $18 million. League president Rick Kozuback said no one had control over the project and too many people were inputting their ideas and before they knew it, it became an 8,000-seat arena for hockey.
   That moved the price tag up to about $30 million, Kozuback said.
   "In essence," he said, "we've started over again."
   Kozuback would not name the party or parties who were pushing to make the building bigger and said the WPHL should take the responsibility for not controlling the direction of the project.
   Logic suggests that ones making the push for a larger building could be Hidalgo city officials.
   Hidalgo city manager Joe Vera, however, said he knew nothing about plans to increase the building's size and cost.
   "Everything is headed in the right direction," Vera said.
   Whatever the case, the building's price has been sent back to the contractors for re-bid.
   "We anticipate that in about two weeks we'll get what we would guess to be their guaranteed bid price," Kozuback said. "Then we move forward."
   All the while, franchise owner Rick Dames sits and waits on the sideline.
   "I don't know anything about the construction of the building," Dame said. "All I know is that they are supposed to build it for me, then I have a franchise."
   Dames said he is not upset about the delay. "This takes the nervousness out about the building not being ready in time," he said. "Otherwise, I'd always be worried that it wouldn't be ready in time. So I feel better that we're taking the time to do it the right way.
   Kozuback said the delay has cost the league around $200,000 to $300,000 in development charges.
   "This is our first project, too" he said. "We're not experts who have built 15 or 20 of these. But we're really close to getting it done."
   HOCKEY IN LAREDO: The city of Laredo took a step toward gaining a WPHL expansion franchise last Monday when its city council unanimously approved the idea.
   Now it will be up to the voters to decide on May 6, 2000.
   "We are working with the city now on the construction of a 10,000-seat facility," Kozuback said. "Laredo City Council unanimously approved the compilation of a memorandum of understanding, which would then take it the voters on the 1/4-cent tax levy that would raise in the neighborhood of $3 million to $4 million dollars annually to service the debt on the approximate $35 million building."
   Two of the four principle owners hail from the Houston area: Glenn Hart, the original owner of the Houston Aeros, and Julian "Kiki" DeAyala, a University of Texas graduate who played football with the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Gamblers of USFL.
   If the vote passes, optimistic plans have Laredo playing hockey in the 2001-02 season.
   "But realistically, it will be the 2002-03 season," Kozuback said.
   WPHL NOT OFFENDED: Kozuback and the WPHL is no stranger to the popular, taunting-of-the-goalie chant that has recently come under fire by IceRays management.
   "If all they're saying is 'Hey goalie, you suck,' we don't have a problem with it," Kozuback said. "If that's all it is, we don't find that offensive. It's done in probably six other (WPHL) buildings."
   Kozuback did have to draw a line in San Angelo once, though. Apparently the chant was so popular that even the team's owner started chanting.
   "We had to tell the owner not to get involved because he was chanting more than just 'You suck,' " Kozuback said. "It (the chant) is big in El Paso and I wouldn't even want to begin to try and stop it there or you would have all kinds of people yanked from games."
   IceRays general manager Bill Davidson said the league's stance does not affect the IceRays' position.
   "What affects our position is what we hear from the families that come to the games," Davidson said.
   So far this season, at least six IceRays fans who were yelling out the chant have been ejected from Corpus Christi home games.
   SALE NOT YET FINAL: The players are back to practice in Central Texas although the sale of the franchise from a Vancouver, British Columbia, group to a Belton businessman has not been finalized.
   According to the team, the Stampede has still not received new equipment such has skates and sticks. Team captain Jaime Hearn led the players on a walkout during practice on Oct. 27 to protest the lack of what the players called "proper, safe equipment" for practice and game use.
   Central Texas threatened to boycott a game against Corpus Christi on Oct. 29, but the team showed and played. The team has put its faith in Bob Carlson, the Belton businessman and potential new owner. Central Texas coach Todd Lalonde said Carlson promised the team the sale would get done and asked them to keep playing.
   PLOUFFE EARNS HONOR: Fort Worth goalie Steve Plouffe was named the WPHL's goalie of the month for October.
   His six wins were a league high for the month and his two shootout wins were good for a three-way tie for the WPHL's best. Plouffe was 6-0-1 in October, helping the Brahmas forge a 6-1-1, good for a first-place tie in Central Division.



Staff writer Mark Button can be reached at 886-3613 or by e-mail at buttonm@caller.com

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