Worcester County considering new hockey arena

Worcester County officials are talking about the possibility of building a multipurpose arena to lure a minor-league hockey team to the area.

It's too early to say exactly where the arena might be built, or how much it would cost, according to Economic Development Director Bill Badger. Any such facility likely would be a public-private partnership, he said. A stadium-style arena also could host concerts, convention groups and youth sports, among other possibilities.

The project was pitched by Hat Trick Consultants, a firm based in Grapevine, Texas. They reached out to Worcester County last summer about the possibility of building a 6,200-seat facility outside Ocean City to attract a minor-league hockey franchise.

The consultants paid for their own study. It said such a facility would have a projected annual revenue of $7.5 million. It could host 125 events a year, support 100 new jobs and have a $19 million in economic impact. Badger said such a facility would sit on 10-12 acres, and could eventually see further development like hotels, restaurants or a business park.

Why would a Texas company cold-call the government offices in Snow Hill to talk, sight unseen, about a new sports arena? Badger said it's all about the numbers.

"They said they were interested in our market because — Ocean City, 8 million people come here a year," he said. "We're surrounded by three major metro areas. The more we had conversations, the more we thought about fitting it into our market, as an asset to the community. They felt there was enough concentration of population, it would be enough to draw interest."

Drawing card

The consultant's role would be not only to help bring the facility to Worcester County, but to land a major tenant — namely, a minor-league hockey team, according to Michael Barack, president of Hat Trick Consultants.

"There's no league or team or ownership group unless there's going to be a facility," he said. "We've been in contact with several of the leagues in regard to what we're starting to do."

Barack said his firm has pitched this deal with a long-term goal to potentially manage the facility. Generally, municipalities are the owners of these arenas, and they're run privately, he said.

He stressed the proposal is for much more than just an arena, but is inclusive of additional commercial retail or mixed-use development near the venue.

"So they all can help each other," he said. "It becomes more than just a facility, more than just a team. This will be successful provided it is part of a larger plan. That's how they're successful across the county."

He also said his consultancy is intimately familiar with pro hockey — even the firm's name is a nod to ice hockey, as a "hat trick" is hockey slang for when a player scores three times in one game — thanks to its ownership stake in the AA league Texas Brahmas Hockey Club. Barack said he was responsible for the team's day-to-day business operations in the Dallas/Fort Worth market.

Conflicts

County officials will now ask the Maryland Stadium Authority to assess the pitch and determine whether this proposed facility would negatively impact its two other partner properties, the Ocean City convention center and a Wicomico County youth sports complex, according to Badger.

Ocean City's convention center director, Larry Noccolino, said the kind of building they're talking about would be in direct competition with the resort's convention space and new performing arts center, especially for events like cheerleading, dancing and wrestling.

"I would not be in favor of this project," he said.

Ocean City's new Performing Arts Center, which held its grand opening this month, has seating for 1,200 people. Noccolino said a minor-league hockey stadium typically seats 5,000 to 8,000.

Barack does not agree with that.

"We don't envision competing. In fact, we just think this is going to be an enhancement with events already booked to the region. We're not here to compete with any entity. It's to bring more to Worcester County and the region."

Jim Bunting, president of the seven-member Worcester County Board of Commissioners, said he doesn't expect the county will fund this project out of pocket.

"Bill (Badger) made it very clear to the (consulting) group that they would come here for the hockey stadium," Bunting said. "Other than some incentives, there would be no funding from Worcester County. It's a public private-type project, but the private part is not Worcester County. In our economic situation right now, we don't have any money to do anything like this. That's just my opinion."

Bunting also stressed that any such project is "a long way down the road" and is still contingent on approval from the Maryland Stadium Authority. He said county leaders likely would hold a public hearing to gauge public opinion.

"If the people and the commissioners decide that we can't put too much of a burden on our infrastructure, our traffic — those things have to be looked at — then a decision will be made," he said.

Wicomico hindsight

This is not the first time leaders on the Lower Shore have talked about luring a minor-league hockey team.

More than 10 years ago, there was buzz about bringing a hockey team home to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, but talks with the East Coast Hockey League fell through because the Civic Center is prohibited from selling alcohol, according to Ed Urban, chairman of the Civic Center.

"For the business people I was talking to," he said, "you really can't make it without the alcohol. If you talk to minor-league baseball teams, you really can't do it without that component of concessions.

'We never were able to take that covenant away from the Civic Center. It never floated beyond the concept."

In a 2004 interview with The Daily Times, East Coast Hockey League Commissioner Brian McKenna said he doesn't know of a facility in any hockey league that doesn't offer beer during games, and that alcohol sales are "very important to making a sporting event successful."

At the time, the president of the East Coast Hockey League had visited the Civic Center, "and basically said the same thing (Hat Trick) said," Urban said. "They did the demographics of this region and said it was an ideal opportunity, with the population and the retirees."

Urban says he likes the Worcester County proposal because it would give residents something to do in the winter. He said not only would the team draw a following, but the rink could be a popular local destination for ice skating and for youth or adult hockey league play.

"I would encourage them to pursue it further," he said. "Tourism is a resource for economic development and it's almost recession-proof. Parents will cut some things, but they won't cut some things out of their children's activities. If you can put a vacation together with a youth amateur sport, you're killing two birds with one stone and helping the entire family."

Reach reporter Brian Shane by e-mail at bshane@delmarvanow.com, by phone at (410) 213-9442, or @bwshane on Twitter.