By Mike Rogers, Operating Owner, Mississippi Sea Wolves.
Make no mistake - the Sea Wolves ownership and the ECHL are 100% committed to the Mississippi Gulf Coast community and want the team playing in 2006-07. Unfortunately, the Coliseum is presently unable to commit in writing that the facility will be ready by October, 2006 as there is no money available to fix the chillers, and to replace the boards, the glass and the Zambonis. According to Bill Holmes, Coliseum Director, the amount needed for the above is slightly under four-hundred thousand dollars and without this money he is unable to guarantee that the Coliseum can be ready for hockey. [note: this figure could be higher if the entire chiller system needs to be rebuilt. Bill Holmes gave a figure of 125K just to get the chillers �cranked up�, but that figure might be as high as 500K in the event that the chillers do not crank up and need to be rebuilt from scratch.]
Many of our fans have been asking us why the state of Louisiana just announced that they were going to spend nearly 130 million dollars to get the Superdome ready for the New Orleans Saints and our Coliseum cannot even get the approximately four to eight hundred thousand it needs to bring its professional hockey team, the Sea Wolves, back for its 10th season of play. More recently, Louisiana spent 10 million dollars just to get the New Orleans Arena ready for only four basketball games this year.
Our fans are also asking why the Texas Wildcatters were given a new lease that included free rent for two years just to keep the team in Beaumont after Hurricane Rita cancelled their 2005-06 season. Unlike the Sea Wolves who lost everything from staplers to skate sharpeners, while the Wildcatters sustained no physical losses, yet they are being given incentives to remain in Texas.
We must let our elected officials know that Bill Holmes and his staff at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum cannot get their building ready for hockey without some financial assistance and that there should be also be some kind of relief for the Sea Wolves for re-investing in the team so it can resume play in 2006-07. Time is running short and the ECHL needs an answer by the end of the month or it will have no choice but to suspend Sea Wolves operations for a second season year.
Please send an email, fax, or even a phone call to your elected officials and let them know that professional hockey is a part of our Mississippi Gulf Coast Community and that you want them to play in October of 2006.
Governor Haley Barbour
Phone: (601) 359-3150
Fax: (601) 359-3741
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 139
Jackson, MS 39205
Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (601) 359-3200
Fax: (601) 359-4054
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215-1018
Senator Trent Lott
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: (202) 224-6253
Fax: (202) 224-2262
Mailing Address:
The Honorable Trent Lott
United States Senate
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-2402
Senator Thad Cochran
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: (202) 224-5054
Fax: (202) 224-9450
Mailing Address:
The Honorable Thad Cochran
United States Senate
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-2402
Congressman Gene Taylor
Email: https://www.house.gov/genetaylor/zipauth.htm
Telephone: (202) 225-5772
Fax: (202) 225-7074
Mailing Address:
The Honorable Gene Taylor
United States House of Representatives
2311 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-2404
Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway
Email: [email protected]
