Augusta Stallions owner Frank Lawrence told civic center leaders Thursday that his arenafootball2 team will not play in Augusta next year, saying the latest contract offer would cut his team's revenue potential.
Contract amendments resulting from an Aug. 14 meeting between team officials and leadership of the Augusta-Richmond County Civic Center addressed several game-day security and cleanliness concerns but denied the Stallions any share in concession and advertising revenues.
Mr. Lawrence said the sides are simply too far apart to reach an agreement before Sept. 1, a contract deadline set by the arenafootball2 league for scheduling purposes.
Besides, Mr. Lawrence said, he has lost faith in arena leadership.
"You can't cut our revenues and expect us to continue to operate," he said. "And given the turmoil within that organization's ranks of late, I don't even know who to talk to up there."
Civic center officials insist that the new contract would not reduce the team's 2002 revenues. The team's 2002 contract gave it rights to 25 percent of concession revenues if sales reached a certain amount. In eight home dates, concession sales never reached the specified level.
The civic center's governing board also set aside eight permanent advertising spaces in the arena for the Stallions. However, the team did not fill them, so it had no advertising revenues either.
"We cannot give the store to Frank," said Joe Scott, the interim chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. "If he doesn't like our proposal, then he needs to make a counterproposal. We're willing to compromise."
Mr. Lawrence said concession and advertising shares are key to any deal. He said he has not considered moving the team to another city and is open to contract talks for the 2004 season, but he said the 2003 season is "definitely" off.
Stallions General Manager Darrell Harbin worried that canceling the 2003 season might shatter the team's fan base, hurting its viability in 2004.
"I'd hate to see people give up on it," he said, "but I know how I felt after the (1994 Major League) baseball strike."
THE PROPOSAL
The following are the terms the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority proposed to Augusta Stallions owner Frank Lawrence in a letter from the authority's attorney, Ziva Bruckner.
The Coliseum Authority will hire two additional T-shirt security personnel to assist in guarding the entrances. The Coliseum Authority is requesting that agents and employees of the Stallions as well as all vendors of the Stallions and their agents be vigilant about not allowing unticketed individuals to enter the facility. Employees of the Coliseum Authority will pay special attention to guarding against entry of unauthorized individuals.
Vendors shall be allowed to enter and exit through one door only and no individual, including vendors and agents or employees of the Stallions, will be allowed on the premises without a pass or a ticket.
The Coliseum Authority will hire two additional individuals to assist in keeping the facility clean. The bathrooms will be patrolled on a regular schedule throughout all of the Stallions' events. We expect this arrangement and the additional personnel will prevent any problems with the restrooms.
To address safety issues, and to make sure that the field is properly prepared for the game, the Coliseum Authority will have the field ready on each game day at 3 p.m. An authorized employee of the Authority will meet an employee authorized by the Stallions at the security office and they will together examine the field and any related equipment with a checklist to be developed by the Stallions and the Authority. The individual designated and authorized by the Stallions will sign the checklist indicating that everything is in order. In the event that changes need to be made in the field, the two authorized representatives will examine the field again after the problem is addressed.
The Stallions will not be allowed to play on the field until a representative of the team has found it to be in order and signed the checklist.
Ushers will be trained and retrained to ensure that individuals sit only in their assigned seats. Ushers will also be trained to make sure that members of the public do not behave in any manner which may endanger themselves or others. The Authority pledges to replace any usher who will not diligently execute his or her duties.
Employees of the Authority shall pick up the field in the event that another activity takes place in the facility between two Stallion games. Employees of the Authority will reinstall the field by 3 p.m. on the day of the game as indicated above. The cost of removing and reinstalling the field to the Authority is $500. The Stallions shall pay one-half of that price and the Authority shall pay the other half. Please note that there are several situations where the field will not need to be taken up because no other events are scheduled between two games of the Stallions.
All revenues from concessions, including the sale of alcohol, shall be the sole property of the Authority and the Stallions shall have no right to participate in such revenues.
All advertisement spaces in the concourse which in the past were allocated for the use of the Stallions would revert back to the Authority and the Authority shall have the sole right to use such spaces and sell advertisements.
All other arrangements between the parties, including fees, rents, etc., shall remain the same and the additional personnel provided by the Authority will be at no cost to the Stallions.
We have discussed the Stallions' concerns regarding the concession service with Fine Host. We have received their commitment to resolve the problems as voiced by the Stallions. We are requesting that you cooperate with the Authority in keeping the concessions up to your expectations by your notifying the General Manager immediately when the Stallions become aware of a problem with the concessions.
Reach John Bankston or Chris Gay at (706) 823-3352 or john.banks@augustachronicle.com.
From the Friday, August 23, 2002 edition of the Augusta Chronicle
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