Is it possible to support West Valley's proposed arena and Salt Lake City's request to delay a decision for 90 days on where to spend Olympic hockey dollars?
Salt Lake County commissioners thought so Wednesday. By Thursday they decided that was impossible.The commission put out a press release Wednesday reiterating support for West Valley City's proposed arena. The proposal, the commission said, would bring hockey back to Utah and save taxpayers money.
West Valley City wants to build a $34 million arena that would be home of the now Denver Grizzlies. It wants a contribution of $7 million from the Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee. The organizing committee has budgeted up to $17 million for a hockey arena.
But the commission also included one sentence in the release asking the organizing committee to give Salt Lake City 90 days to come up with an alternative proposal for a hockey arena.
Huh? West Valley City has made it clear that in order for the Denver Grizzlies hockey team to meet a league scheduling deadline, it needs to know by July 19 if the organizing committee will accept its proposal.
The committee said Friday it would give Salt Lake City 10 days to comment on or propose its own arena. The city has asked for a 90-day extension.
But that extension won't work for the Grizzlies.
"We thought there was more time to work on the Grizzlies' proposal," Commission Chairman Brent Overson said Thursday. "But it's readily apparent there's not. The 90 days is not realistic."
Overson admitted the commission had received lots of "feedback" since issuing its con-tradictory statement, particularly from West Valley City and from the Olympic organizing committee.
"We were under the impression there was more time, but it's been clearly communicated to us that there is not more time," Overson said.
So who is the commission backing in the jockeying for Olympic hockey bucks?
"We support West Valley City, and we support the Grizzlies coming to Salt Lake County," Overson said. "We're supportive of (their) package because we think it's financially responsible."