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Movin’ On Down The Road
Amid financial woes, the Alabama Slammers may be looking for a new home in Birmingham.
04.30.04 – Moving from the World Hockey Association 2 [WHA2] to the Eastern Hockey League [EHL] may not be the only move that the Alabama Slammers are making this summer. The team may be playing in another venue.
“There won’t be hockey in that building next year,” stated David Waronker, founder of the EHL, and the primary financial backing of the league.
The lease on their arena, the Pelham Civic Complex [PCC], runs out on May 30, 2004. The facility and the city are unwilling to negotiate a new contract until “the Alabama Slammers take care of their financial indebtedness to the business community,” according to Paul Andrzejewski, General Manager of the PCC.
Financially, last season wasn't particularly kind to the Slammers. Estimates of the loss on the season ranged from $200,000 to $300,000 by some sources. Debt included money owed to local businesses and to the city in the form of unspecified tax revenue and license fees.
“Are debts owed to people within the city? Yes, there certainly are bills owed to people in Birmingham. I know this because I was there last week,” Waronker said. He provided a cash infusion to the team last week, relieving 62% of the debt.
“Two weeks ago there was $300,000 dollars in debt, as of last Friday there’s $113,000 dollars in debt, so it was amazing what was accomplished in two weeks.” Waronker said. “It was paid in capital by me.”
Waronker has been a minority partner in several teams in the WHA-2, or owned teams for which he has found ownership later. Pelham is not one of those teams, however.
Mayor Bobby Hayes estimated that a small remaining tax bill “in the neighborhood of $5,000.00” of the debt to the city still remains.
Hayes said that the Slammers will also need to take care of renewing their business license and paying penalties for late filing if they want to play again in Pelham.
That presumes, of course, that the Slammers want to play again in Pelham.
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