6.09.08
Olympia Entertainment bids to run Port Huron arena
Contributed by Bill Shea
Detroit-based Olympia Entertainment Inc. is among the potential bidders seeking to manage city-owned McMorran Place in Port Huron.
The venue includes a hockey rink, 1,200-seat theater and 1,000-seat secondary pavilion and is home to the minor-league Port Huron Icehawks of the International Hockey League. The team, owned by Howell-based Datapak Services Corp., also is seeking the management contract.
Bids are due June 13, and the City Council is expected in August to award the contract, McMorran General Manager Larry Krabach said.
The city wants a private management company to run the 50-year-old arena to help offset a $335,000 annual subsidy from taxpayers.
Other likely McMorran bidders include Philadelphia-based SMG Inc.; Mechanicsville, Va.-based Rink Management Services Corp.; Ames, Iowa-based VenuWorks Inc.; and RG Sports & Entertainment of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Note: Marian Ilitch, president of Olympia Entertainment, and her family including husband Mike Ilitch, support plans to build a Casino in Port Huron that have been championed by her partner Michael J. Malik, Sr. for more than a decade. This article and a column by Mike Connell published 1.11.09 in the Port Huron Times Herald suggest the Ilitch family's greater interest in developing business opportunities in Port Huron. However, despite representations in the article above, a review of Port Huron City Council Minutes confirms that Olympia Entertainment did not end up submitting a propsoal.
No comments:
Post a Comment