 "Photo: Kerry Lentz")
A new contract between the city of Lubbock and Texas Tech hockey was voted into action Tuesday, marking an end to nearly three weeks of disagreement between the City Council and the team.
The contract, which was passed by a 7-0 vote, calls for an additional $20,000 to be paid by the team for its rental of the City Bank Coliseum for playing games and for hosting tournaments and other hockey-related events.
The payments for the $60,000 will be "backloaded" throughout the contract's term to help the team stay on its feet, according to several council members.
Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin said Tuesday's revised contract allows the city to rent the City Bank Coliseum when the team is not using the facility. The additional money the team is contracted to pay, along with revenue gained through other temporary leases, will allow the city to renovate the 50-year-old venue.
One of those renovations - repairs to the venue's ice-producing machine - must occur before the next team's game. Stipulations in the contract require the city to finance the repairs.
Another benefit for the team includes exclusive-rental dates for all Tech games, including the two tournaments the team is scheduled to host in January and February.
Martin said the agreement is good for both the hockey team and the city because it allows the team to succeed without requiring the city to subsidize the program.
"It's amazing what you can get done when cooler heads prevail," he said, "when you get the emotion and the politics out of the way."
The same issues may reappear next year, Martin said, but both the hockey team and the coliseum must increase revenue before they can begin repairs to the building, which the city contractually owns for another 50 years.
District 3 Councilman Todd Klein, the negotiator of the contract, said he took concerns of the other council members into account when negotiating with the team, calling it a "group effort.
"This represents an opportunity to step in the direction of getting a fair and more appropriate return for the taxpayer," Klein said, "who ultimately will be the people who write the check to refurbish and remodel that facility."
After working on the contract for more than 40 hours with representatives from the team, Klein said, he believes much credit should go to Jeff Griffith, a representative for Tech hockey.
Because both parties wanted to get the contract finalized, he said, they were able to find more agreeable terms for the city and the team.
Griffith, who negotiated the contract on behalf of the team, said he believes the lease is fair, and the city's willingness to help the team with the ice plant is a "blessing."
Because representatives on both sides of the issue were passionate aboutit, he said, it was difficult to work through some issues, but he is relieved the contract is resolved.
Griffith said the team still plans to host public skating events and lessons at the venue, possibly with an increased emphasis on offering those programs.
He said Tech hockey will attempt to get a head start on negotiating next year's contract with the city.
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