6 months after opening, critics say rent too high at Central Br...

Pandering to THIRD WORLD IMMIGRANTS with YOUR TAX DOLLARS!

Listen, at first glance this looks like a boondoggle. Yet if you look at population demagraphics there are obviously a lot of islanders, East Indians and Pakastanis in the area. These groups are Cricket mad and will pay admission and form leagues. I'll admit I know little about cricket but these people ARE HERE. They aren't leaving no matter how much hate they endure. They need recreation and it's better to have teens of all colors in sports leagues rather than gangs.

Waiting for my concealed weapons permit before I go there.

Coral Springs wrote:

Cricket?? 70 MILLION DOLLARS?? Can I ask where ARE THEIR PRIORITIES??? Our college classes are being cut --- School lunches are being down sized -- Pensions are being sqaundered by goverment -- Scores of people are being layed off - loosing thier homes - and I wont go into the Medical issues that exist and the-- AND THE ONLY THING THEY CAN COME UP WITH IS SPEND 70 MILLION DOLLARD AND BUILD A STADIUM TO PLAY CRICKET? And we sometimes ponder on why the world is where it is at today.....

Nope...they also came up with giving $800,000+ a year to the Orioles and letting them level a viable stadium in the process.

what a shock LOL

why not increase some taxes to pay for something that can't pay for itself like they always do

Average Yuppie wrote:

<quoted text>
Well just as an FYI there other sports besides Football, baseball, basketball, and Soccer.
Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, and baseball is a direct derivative of it. Aussie Rules Football is the oldest organized football in the world with their "super bowl" averaging about 110,000 people about 30-40K more then then the NFL's.
So Just because you guys don't play or watch these sports doesn't mean that hundreds or thousands of others don't. Why don't you stop whining and go out and see what these sports are all about the local Cricket, Rugby, and Aussie Rules Clubs would love to have you out to try something new.
I frequent the park and I am a resident of coral springs. I see kids leagues, adult leagues, football, rugby, Aussie Rules, and cricket all the time. It's not Cricket only there are all types of youth leagues including American football, and soccer going on every day there. I think the article is focusing on the main stadium and not the day to day of the park. The water park there is amazing, easily the best in Broward County.

If all you say is true...how come after the county paid the $70 mil. the professional cricket team that said "build it we will come" didn't. So the county was left with a 70mil. poorly designed stadium that is to small for any real type of event.

American taxpayer wrote:

I am not going to pay an entrance fee to a public park that was built using taxpayer dollars.

Okay.
What makes you think you were invited?

American taxpayer wrote:

I am not going to pay an entrance fee to a public park that was built using taxpayer dollars.

Amen!

Every Broward County Regional Park charges an entry fee on Saturdays and Sundays. Don't want to pay it? Go Monday thru Friday.

Why cricket? Because that is what residents of the area demanded and when white people say no to black people it isn't well received these days.

The park is a LOT more than a cricket stadium and even the cricket stadium is more than a cricket stadium. The park couldn't be opening at a worse times considering the economic conditions right now but that certainly isn't the fault of the County.

They've been talking about this park for at least a decade. Where were all the critics before now? Anyone here remember what that area use to look like? It was crap. There was an old antenna farm there (lovely).

What is going to happen is that the park is going to spur redevelopment along that corridor which was badly needed. Look at 441 to the south through Plantation. It is a hell of a lot nicer now than it was 5-10 years ago.

People complain about the area's growth, new housing developments, mega stores popping up everywhere. So, the County purchases land and builds a beautiful park and people still complain.

Quite your bitching or leave.

Oh Man wrote:

<quoted text>
Yeah! Where have you people been??!!! Cricket is the fastest growing sport in the country!! Every high school and major university has cricket teams and the networks are competing for primary TV coverage of the new US Cricket League!! Ticket sales are booming and there will be TV coverage of 3 to 4 major games every Sunday!! Traffic is already starting to back up with people trying to get to games. It's easy to see that cricket will soon overtake football, baseball, basketball, and hockey in overall ticket sales. I've got to go now so I can get in line to buy season tickets!!

So pretty much If you don't like it or its not yet mainstream enough for you no one should have a place to do it. All those sports have channels available on mainstream tv with plenty of viewers to keep them going, so clearly there is a market.

Many colleges have rugby teams and some have lacrosse, cricket, water polo, and other sports that aren't on ESPN 24X7. Just because you are ignorant of the fact that there are other sports around the globe, doesn't make you opinion or argument any stronger on the topic. I don't assume total knowledge but i do know that sports outside the states are just as big if not bigger, then the ones offered here in your "Criteria".

Ticket sales for cricket this memorial day weekend will outsell pretty much any Marlins game and probably Heat Games as well. You better come with stronger arguments then mockery of sports you have no understanding of.

The park is a multi purpose park. What part of football, soccer, and baseball/softball fields didn't you guys get, they are all there ready to be played on and in many occasions are already quite busy.

The price for the park seems high, the price to rent the stadium is high, but the functionality of the park is fine. and has easy access from the turnpike and 95. The park was granted to be built in 2000-01 way before any home market crash or other excuse. Where were your complaints then, when did you talk to your elected officials about it? What did they do about it? Any one can b-i-t-c-h on the web, whens the last time you went to a commissioners meeting and voiced your opinion?

"It's just like opening a new store. You've got to build your customer base," said Bob Harbin, the county's parks director.

- Bob, in the private world you have data showing the demand and a customer base, then you build. I guess in the protected world you live with unlimited revenue streams, you build and they will come?

County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman said in 2006, "This park is going to spur economic development."

- Gee, Ilene, I did not know that the government was better at economic development than the private market oriented businesses that employ workers. I must have missed this concept in my NYC Marxist 101 class.

Expectations are high: County staff has estimated the park eventually could lure up to 800,000 visitors a year. Gate admission numbers, February and March, are 6,000 per month.

- You are just 90% SHORT of your monthly projections. I guess that's okay since we cannot vote today. You get to keep the paycheck for some time hey?

However, next time you spend $70 million plus maintenance of our taxed wages to build a facility for votes, consult a few business people for their opinion.

Keep up the good work Broward County Commissioners. You are a special bunch.

All that money spent on a park and we STILL have homeless folks begging at street intersections. What is wrong with this picture?

I need the city of Lauderhill and the Broward County comissioners to please explain to me why schools can't afford text books,$500 million just got cut from education, our cops work without contracts, firehouses are closing, clinics aren't treating patients, and government is complaining everyday about how they need to "cut services with amendment one," yet this was a good idea?
What other park spurs the economy? A marlins stadium, maybe. But this field which has too many seats for small venues and not enough seats for large venues, in the middle of a war zone- no. Impeach everyone that voted for this. 70 million, are you kidding me? For a field? For a field next to the swap shop? This is NOT YOUR MONEY TO SPEND, IT IS OURS.
Provide us with services, policemen, education, traffic signals, etc. Attracting islanders with a cricket field is not a "service"

Okay, time for a civics lesson. In May of 2000, a WHOPPING 74% of Broward County voters chose to tax themselves with the $400 million with the Safe Parks and Land Preservation Bond Referendum.

74% That is huge! You can't get 74% of the people to agree on anything these days but the direction residents wanted was clear: More park land.

Numerous (more than anyone should have expected) public meetings were held over the years to determine the direction of the Central Broward Regional Park and the overwhelming consensus was to build pretty much what you see there today.

County is told to preserve land and build more parks. County preserves land and builds more parks. County builds and opens parks. County is criticized for building the wrong kinds of parks.

Coming from Floridians that seems to make perfect sense.

who in the h----- wants to watch cricket, if you are a limey it is fine. yuck. good old thieves in vroward county commision ripping off tax payers. we should hang the all to the nearest tree at this park, and let them swing

What do you think this is a welfare State pay and shut your mouth

Yes bit it keeps the minions from being in the streets

Help me wrote:

I need the city of Lauderhill and the Broward County comissioners to please explain to me why schools can't afford text books,$500 million just got cut from education, our cops work without contracts, firehouses are closing, clinics aren't treating patients, and government is complaining everyday about how they need to "cut services with amendment one," yet this was a good idea?
What other park spurs the economy? A marlins stadium, maybe. But this field which has too many seats for small venues and not enough seats for large venues, in the middle of a war zone- no. Impeach everyone that voted for this. 70 million, are you kidding me? For a field? For a field next to the swap shop? This is NOT YOUR MONEY TO SPEND, IT IS OURS.
Provide us with services, policemen, education, traffic signals, etc. Attracting islanders with a cricket field is not a "service"

Let's be kind now...this will spurn economic development as Lieberman says. First, the police should get plenty of overtime investigating all the car break ins, robberies and shootings (todays news, man shot in face in LAUDERHILL...gee...go figure!) that occur at the "G" Park, not to mention the resales of all the stolen goods at the nearby Swap Shop! How conveniently located!Everyone will thrive and be successful! Come on all you believers, load up the car with the kids and don't forget to bring along your jewelry, DVD players, Ipods, cell phones etc. and leave them in plain sight so they can be easily seen by thieves. Do your civic duty and contribute! You WILL feel better at the end of the day.