Lambeau lease squabble escalates: Packers, Green Bay continue war of words
By Karl Winter
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GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (WGBA) — The Packers’ lease for Lambeau Field ends in eight years, according to the team. Extending that lease has been a point of contention for months. The war of words continued Wednesday, with the Packers asking the Green Bay Brown County Stadium District to get involved.
Wednesday the Packers sent two letters — one to the City of Green Bay and one to the Stadium District — saying Green Bay mayor Eric Genrich is avoiding negotiation meetings for a new lease.
“We’re concerned, and really frustrated,” director of public affairs Aaron Popkey said, “with the approach that the city has taken, and the mayor, with the refusal to engage in discussions.”
The City responded Wednesday afternoon, with Chief Operations Officer Joseph Faulds writing, in part: The City of Green Bay is not interested in a public debate with the Packers, other than to say the Packers are grossly mischaracterizing our views and actions.
The crux of the issue revolves around rent. The team says it wants to flatten its payments to the City. In exchange, the team would assume all of the stadium’s maintenance costs moving forward. saying locals are better served by the stadium being upgraded.
“I think it’s presumptuous to think that existing [rent] deal would be part of a new deal,” Popkey said. “So that’s why we propose the new deal would freeze that rent, and the costs that are involved, the tremendous and significant dollars that are going to be needed to keep up the stadium and with the additional funding that will be needed for investments. It’s important that as much revenue as possible is focused on the stadium.
The City says it would miss out on that rent money for its constituents, writing, in part:
“As we have stated previously, our taxpayers deserve nothing less than what they’re currently entitled to under the existing lease, which has 18 years remaining, and absolutely not the $30 million loss the Packers proposed,” Faulds wrote.
The City says 18 years, but the Packers say current lease is set to end in 2032, with an option for a two five-year extensions.
The Stadium District says it’s happy to engage with Packers to get the ball rolling.
“We have been requesting to be involved, both sides, to be involved with all negotiations,” vice chair Keith Lucius said, “because we’re the ones who are going to have to operate it, the day-to-day functions, to make sure both sides are living up to the lease.”
The team says the time is now, so it can get started on $1.5 billion dollars of stadium renovations.
“The longer we wait, the more things cost, and the likelihood that public funds may be needed in the future [increases],” Popkey said.
The Packers say they want to meet with the Stadium District board as soon as possible to get the lease negotiations moving. The district meets again in December.
The City of Green Bay essentially says it won’t engage until a proposal it deems reasonable is on the table.
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