Sonics/Storm basketball facilities and racetracks

Interesting Tacoma News Trib article about the Muckleshoot tribe entering the fray over the location of the Sonics:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/158562.html

I've heard that one of the most truculent local politicians is closely tied to the Muckleshoots; I haven't been able to verify details, so I'll leave his name out.

A couple of key quotes:
"The Muckleshoots released a market feasibility study Monday morning. It concludes that a 26.5-acre parcel of land the tribe owns next to Emerald Downs could support an 18,500-seat arena, with the Sonics as the primary tenant.

"Muckleshoot tribal spokesman Rollin Fatland said the tribe is willing to gift the land for the project, contribute parking from Emerald Downs and also help pay for a financial analysis that would focus on how to pay for the project."

Not mentioned in this piece is the Muckleshoot's casino ownership--not sure how close their big casino is to the proposed site--and the fact that the location is right in the middle of projected lahar flows, should Mt. Ranier decide to blow.

The plot thickens.

 

Were the Muckleshoots villains in one of the Harry Potter books?

 

That was the Geoducks. Over in Humptulips.

 

There is a lot of land near Emerald Downs, but I am curious about the location for driving into the games. I can't remember how far south the racetrack is, but is it a convenient location for everyone? And don't you have to go past the bottleneck that is the highway that goes to Puyallup and the bottleneck at the S-curves?

 

That's one of the concerns in the piece, without the particulars. There are ways to come in sideways, but none of them are convenient, in my estimation. It's no tougher than getting into downtown for someone from Issaquah, Kent or Tacoma, is it? And the parking would be a plus.

Hanging out for a beer, etc., before or after, not so good.

More interesting to me is the benevolence of the Muckleshoots. This is a pretty deep story; the article scratches the surface. I'm waiting for someone, most likely Thiel at the PI, to shine some more light on this situation.

 

Don't forget the Bumbershoots too.

 

Muckleshoots? Sounds like a family in a Hee Haw skit.

 

Better think Jed Clampett. They are a pretty wealthy tribe. And, by the way, because of the natural resources up this way, several of the tribes in the Northwest were wealthy long, long before my ancestors hit the continent.

 

Wasn't Ali truculent as well?

 

From time to time, but I don't know that he ever deep-sixed a pro basketball franchise.

 

Another reason why taxpayers should never again pay one red cent toward stadia.