Indya Kincannon and Glenn Jacobs: Stadium project is a home run, let's get it done
For a year and a half now, the city and county have closely studied the proposal for a new sports and entertainment complex, multiuse stadium and related development for Knoxville and Knox County.
As mayors, we both entered conversations about this project with lots of questions and open minds to carefully evaluate whether this project could and would be a wise investment for our taxpayers.
Neither of us took this decision lightly. We have sought and received substantial public input and had outside experts review the proposal and its financial provisions.
The proposed stadium, along with the $100 million-plus in committed private development, will result in the transformation of a blighted site in East Knoxville that has been vacant for more than two decades. The publicly owned stadium will bring the Tennessee Smokies baseball team back to Knoxville.
Our conclusion is that the benefits to the city and county, to East Knoxville, to the local workforce and to the community at large are clear and overwhelming. We support the building of a new stadium that is the centerpiece of the development.
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After multiple extensive workshops and efforts to gather public input, the Knox County Commission voted unanimously Monday to approve an agreement to move forward with the project, and the Knoxville City Council votes on Tuesday. We strongly recommend approval.
The Sports Authority, which was intentionally created by the city and county to review and manage the project, unanimously approved this agreement to carry it forward. The Knoxville/Knox County Planning Commission unanimously approved the plan for a cohesive development that will enhance the area and connect the stadium with downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. The State of Tennessee has given us a $13.5 million grant for the project.
Several groups have suggested that this project should require a community benefits agreement. Such agreements, when used in other communities, are made specifically between private parties: the developer and a nonprofit. Public entities, like the City of Knoxville, Knox County, or the Sports Authority, cannot legally be part of those agreements.
The private development that enhances the stadium and makes it financially viable is led by a developer that cares deeply about our community. Randy Boyd and his team have held numerous meetings with community representatives and have met with union leaders. And, they already have made commitments to the local community such as enlisting the services of the Knoxville Area Urban League to identify and provide training to disadvantaged and minority employees. They are working with the Beck Cultural Exchange Center on reflecting the culture of the surrounding community.
These commitments are made not through handshakes, but through signed agreements that will benefit our entire community.
Some people have asked the city and county to dictate wage levels to private contractors. As governments, we take bids on projects like this to receive the best value for the taxpayers, but state law limits our ability to dictate specific wages.
The contractor and subcontractors who would participate in this project have their own safety and training programs. The developers have assured us that in this case, the pay levels for skilled construction trades will equal, and possibly exceed, a wage of $15.50 per hour.
We want to see construction workers get to work and move closer to the 400 permanent jobs that can be created by this project, and the estimated $480 million in economic benefit it will provide.
We’ve kept our eye on the ball. Let’s take our swing and hit this home run.
Indya Kincannon is the mayor of Knoxville. Glenn Jacobs is the mayor of Knox County.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Indya Kincannon and Glenn Jacobs: Stadium project is a home run
