checking in for the first time

hey everybody,



glad to have the opportunity to join you on hillcrest road. we've been drawing all sorts of pictures next to the damn thing for the past year, so it's good to actually add it to the context of our discussion. we've been relatively active lately trying to push this process to the finish line since the city council approval. as you all know, richard tolbert's "save the mall" group has been attempting to slow the process, but i think we're hopeful it should come to an end soon.



i'm meeting in the morning with the architects (360) to finalize the seating bowl, as well as the corner suites that we're building in the stadium. we also should have bids on six different roof structures and will make a final decision. as soon as that's done, we should be able to put the finishing touches on the renderings.



currently, we're working on a plan to put the cauldron in the south end of the stadium behind the goal. the contours of the site allow us to create a "cave-like" structure that should be loud and intimidating for the opposition. also, it will allow easy access in and out to the english pub in the central square outside the stadium. i'm hopeful we can make this happen. it really depends on how much the steel truss will cost to support the earthen roof structure. again, bids on this should be in approx. 2/7...



tomorrow we start designing the english pub. it's going to be really cool. the pub will sit in the center of a mini-park in a giant event space just south of the stadium. we're intending on the pub being its own free-standing two story victorian style building. it will really be the signature item of the entertainment district. we're working on a number of plans to incorporate a bunch of marketing services and incentive programs for wizards fans, particularly the cauldron, that involve the pub and the other concepts in the entertainment district.



training starts next week, so i'll do my best to throw my two cents in on how things are going. based on our plan going in, we did very well in the draft. we wound up with 6 of our top 12 ranked players, so in a couple years we'll really be able to look back at draft '08 and say we scouted well, or we blew it. we'll be the first to admit mistakes. i think if we work our asses off and are brutally honest with our fans in good times and in bad, we stand a chance to grow in to one of the top 2 sports teams in this town. we'll keep workin' - you keep watchin'



rh