Rochester Rhino
Manager
Today the Rochester Rhinos will break ground on the new soccer specific stadium. It has been long awaited. They were suppose to begin in October, but delays kept pushing it BACK. i'M SO HAPPY FOR THIS TO BEGIN.
Soccer stadium finally kicks off
Today's groundbreaking follows two key agreements for city site.
By Joseph Spector
Staff writer
(January 15, 2004) — The Rochester Rhinos will break ground today on a long-awaited soccer stadium in downtown Rochester.
The Rhinos plan to build a $22 million, 12,500-seat stadium about a half-mile from Frontier Field, where the A-League soccer team currently plays.
Discussions on a new stadium began in the late 1990s, but despite $15 million in state aid secured in 2000, it has yet to be built.
The final hurdles were kicked aside Wednesday when city and Monroe County officials announced they had reached a financial deal to move Empire Precision Plastics Inc., whose factory abuts the stadium site.
The Rhinos also announced that the state approved construction on the 15-acre site, where archaeologists had discovered building foundations along the original Erie Canal.
“We’re thrilled we got over this hurdle,” said Rhinos majority owner Frank DuRoss. “It’s a great day for the city and the county and the Rhinos.”
Rhinos fans were pleased Wednesday that the stadium, called PaeTec Park, is finally getting under way. The team and its fans have long complained that Frontier Field, used primarily by the Red Wings baseball team, is unsuitable for soccer.
Moreover, a new stadium could increase the team’s chances of entering Major League Soccer. The stadium would also host major high school games, concerts and other sporting events.
“It would be fantastic,” said Rhinos fan Kate Quinn, 50, of Chili. “It would be a nice addition to the Rochester area.”
The state is funding almost all of the stadium’s construction, with the Rhinos deferring millions in upfront costs. The stadium is a long way from the initial plan to build a facility costing close to $50 million with 20,000 seats that the Rhinos would have largely funded.
Some fans said the stadium delays were discouraging but still expressed optimism. “In Rochester we have one of the strongest and most loyal soccer fan bases,” said Michael Sciortino, a season ticket holder. “The true soccer fans have not lost their soccer faith.”
The team will likely play its entire 2004 season at Frontier Field, though one or two games, possibly playoff games, might be possible in the new stadium.
Construction is expected to take at least nine months.
In recent months, the major holdup has been securing money to move Empire Precision Plastics to another location. It is currently located at Oak and Smith streets and will move to 500 Lee Road in the city.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Rochester Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. announced Wednesday that the state and local governments will fund most of the $800,000 move through loans, grants and a lease agreement with the building’s owner. The Rhinos are paying about $100,000.
The Rhinos plan to use the factory for offices, locker rooms and a team store.
Politicians applauded the cooperation among county, city and state governments in getting the deal done. In the last month, the county agreed to pay $100,000 for Empire’s move.
“This is a great story that we’re telling today, and one that we’d like to be able to tell over and over and over again,” Brooks, a Republican, said.
This is the second project announcement that Brooks has been a part of since taking office Jan. 1. Last week, she was in Albany for the unveiling of the Rochester Renaissance Center, a downtown project that would link a new Monroe Community College campus, a performing arts center and bus terminal.
“She has said … she wants to clean the slate, clean the decks, start out fresh,” Johnson, a Democrat, said, “and projects like this really do prove that she is trying to live up to her word.”
Soccer stadium finally kicks off
Today's groundbreaking follows two key agreements for city site.
By Joseph Spector
Staff writer
(January 15, 2004) — The Rochester Rhinos will break ground today on a long-awaited soccer stadium in downtown Rochester.
The Rhinos plan to build a $22 million, 12,500-seat stadium about a half-mile from Frontier Field, where the A-League soccer team currently plays.
Discussions on a new stadium began in the late 1990s, but despite $15 million in state aid secured in 2000, it has yet to be built.
The final hurdles were kicked aside Wednesday when city and Monroe County officials announced they had reached a financial deal to move Empire Precision Plastics Inc., whose factory abuts the stadium site.
The Rhinos also announced that the state approved construction on the 15-acre site, where archaeologists had discovered building foundations along the original Erie Canal.
“We’re thrilled we got over this hurdle,” said Rhinos majority owner Frank DuRoss. “It’s a great day for the city and the county and the Rhinos.”
Rhinos fans were pleased Wednesday that the stadium, called PaeTec Park, is finally getting under way. The team and its fans have long complained that Frontier Field, used primarily by the Red Wings baseball team, is unsuitable for soccer.
Moreover, a new stadium could increase the team’s chances of entering Major League Soccer. The stadium would also host major high school games, concerts and other sporting events.
“It would be fantastic,” said Rhinos fan Kate Quinn, 50, of Chili. “It would be a nice addition to the Rochester area.”
The state is funding almost all of the stadium’s construction, with the Rhinos deferring millions in upfront costs. The stadium is a long way from the initial plan to build a facility costing close to $50 million with 20,000 seats that the Rhinos would have largely funded.
Some fans said the stadium delays were discouraging but still expressed optimism. “In Rochester we have one of the strongest and most loyal soccer fan bases,” said Michael Sciortino, a season ticket holder. “The true soccer fans have not lost their soccer faith.”
The team will likely play its entire 2004 season at Frontier Field, though one or two games, possibly playoff games, might be possible in the new stadium.
Construction is expected to take at least nine months.
In recent months, the major holdup has been securing money to move Empire Precision Plastics to another location. It is currently located at Oak and Smith streets and will move to 500 Lee Road in the city.
Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and Rochester Mayor William A. Johnson Jr. announced Wednesday that the state and local governments will fund most of the $800,000 move through loans, grants and a lease agreement with the building’s owner. The Rhinos are paying about $100,000.
The Rhinos plan to use the factory for offices, locker rooms and a team store.
Politicians applauded the cooperation among county, city and state governments in getting the deal done. In the last month, the county agreed to pay $100,000 for Empire’s move.
“This is a great story that we’re telling today, and one that we’d like to be able to tell over and over and over again,” Brooks, a Republican, said.
This is the second project announcement that Brooks has been a part of since taking office Jan. 1. Last week, she was in Albany for the unveiling of the Rochester Renaissance Center, a downtown project that would link a new Monroe Community College campus, a performing arts center and bus terminal.
“She has said … she wants to clean the slate, clean the decks, start out fresh,” Johnson, a Democrat, said, “and projects like this really do prove that she is trying to live up to her word.”
good luck in the upcoming season..
