A recent report from the Daily Herald reveals a new wrinkle in the Bears stadium saga.
According to a recent report from Christopher Placek of the Daily Herald, the Village of Arlington Heights and the Chicago Bears are working on a resolution to position the suburb for another push to land the team.
Placek reported that the village sent a proposed settlement to the Bears, which could resolve the tax issues that initially hung up the deal. He also reports that Arlington Heights Village Manager Randy Recklaus presented the settlement terms to the Bears in March, which was prior to the Illinois State legislation voting against any tax dollars being allocated to fund their new stadium.
Arlington Heights Mayor Tom Hayes is optimistic that the settlement will remove some of the obstacles that led the Bears to look for a new location to build their state-of-the-art domed stadium.
“I feel very comfortable that should the Bears reengage with us and continue to explore the Arlington Park site, that the road is going to be much easier than we found in past months,” Hayes told the Daily Herald.
Hayes said the Bears have responded to the settlement, “and discussions continue.” He also said he expects the Bears to make their Arlington Heights decision within the next ten months, which is when his term as Mayor concludes.
“I feel really good that we’ve presented a proposal to the Bears that they can feel comfortable with, and we’ve communicated that to them, and they have responded, and discussions are continuing,” Hayes said via the Daily Herald. “I feel very hopeful about where things are at. And I’ve always said that, ultimately, I think the Bears will find that Arlington Heights is the best site for them.”
A Bears spokesman maintains that the team’s focus is on the lakefront site; however, the team still hasn’t put its Arlington Heights property up for sale.
Be sure to read Placek’s article in the Daily Herald for the full details of his report.
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