NHL's Bettman asks mayor for meeting on arena
Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel and City Manager Simon Farbrother are traveling to New York City at the request of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to meet with Katz Group officials about an agreement on the new $450 million downtown arena.
"Mr. Bettman called us and asked us to come down to see if we can go over what's happening in negotiations and give him an overview and go from there," Mandel said.
The meetings will take place Tuesday and Wednesday. Mandel and Farbrother will meet with Bettman on Tuesday afternoon. The two men will sit down with Bettman and Katz Group officials on Wednesday.
The meetings come just three weeks before the company's deadline for reaching a deal with the city.
Katz Group vice-president John Karvellas said last month that the arena deal is at risk if an agreement is not reached by Oct. 31st. The company says it will have exhausted its rights to extend the closing date on the arena lands by that date.
Katz officials want the city to firm up a source for the outstanding $100 million in funding as well as compel Northlands to sign an non-compete clause before they sign an agreement.
Mandel has said those two final points are issues the city can't solve by the end of the month.
Farbrother will provide councillors with an update about what was discussed in New York at a special city council meeting on Oct. 14.
"Council may have other questions as it relates to the negotiations and the status of moving towards the Oct. 31st deadline," he said.
The Katz-owned NHL team will move out of Rexall Place into the new downtown facility once it is built.
Northlands operates a lucrative concert business at Rexall Place. The Katz Group is demanding the non-profit organization get out of concerts by signing a non-compete clause.
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