City disputes Chuck Surack’s claims that MLS effort is dead

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29 thoughts on “City disputes Chuck Surack’s claims that MLS effort is dead

    1. 16 of the MLS teams currently operate at a loss. Indy will certainly be a bottom rung team so any significant public investment will come directly out of taxpayer pockets.

    1. Chris +1 – Surack has a clear conflict of interest, seems to have no problem revealing what he called a confidential discussion with the Simons and it’s likely he’s not been privy to MLS’s conversations with the city.

  1. Surack has all of the resources available to purchase land and build his own heliport. He doesn’t need tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to keep and maintain this eyesore for his personal benefit.

    1. He is trying to use his resources. Why build when you can buy? His business wants to buy the heliport and operate it. Basically make it a private entity instead of a public entity. Not sure why that would require millions of dollars in taxpayer money. He is essentially trying to give the taxpayers (via the airport authority) millions of dollars. Also, do you think an MLS stadium is going to get built without millions of taxpayer money? If so, explain to me how that will happen.

    2. Wade: he doesn’t want to operate it as a heliport. This was always a revenge play against the City. And sometimes, money can’t buy everything.

    3. Wade – there are a bunch of better uses for that site over a lightly used heliport. Surack waited far too long to make an offer and should have moved five years ago.

    4. The heliport requires tens of millions of dollars in upgrades and hundreds of thousands of dollars every year just to stay afloat. Surak would require subsidies from the State and the City to keep his private heliport afloat. If Surak actually gave a crap about access to Downtown Indy, he would advocate for continuously improved public transport or intercity trains between Indy and Fort Wayne. He doesn’t. He only cares about the convenience of him and his other super-rich buddies.

      Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Airport Authority are under zero obligation to bend to Surak and his whims. Surak can find another place to store his private property on his own dime.

  2. MLS has 30 teams currently, and I don’t believe it will expand anytime soon. And if it does, I believe it prefers other markets. If Indy wants top division professional soccer, the best bet is for Indy Eleven to build a stadium that puts it in position to be in the new USL Premier division.

    1. This is the right call. We have a home-grown team with deep local support. Why give that up?

    2. MLS doesn’t prefer other markets, they prefer other owners. The reason that the MLS isn’t in Indianapolis is because they foolishly let Ersal Ozdemir lead the effort despite the MLS making clear that he will never, ever be an MLS franchise owner. During the time we bet on the wrong horse, the price for a MLS franchise went from high to astronomical and the Indy Eleven ownership group simply can’t run in those waters.

      At this point, it may make the most sense to wait until another city tires of its MLS franchise and have the Simon’s can run point.

  3. Sad to see Mr. Surack is rooting against what I consider to be a development with Indy’s best interests in mind. And just who is Surack and where does he live? Whatever becomes of Indy getting an MLS team and stadium (and I’m all for it,) the previous $1-billion project of a 20,000 seat (minor league) soccer stadium with adjacent retail/residential development over a graveyard was always a lose/lose pipe dream. Surack’s self-interest and grievances are truly at play here.

  4. So can we let Mr. Surack purchase the property at his price, use it as his personal playground (I’ve not read of other helicopter companies wanting to use the facility), and then when the MLS franchise is lined up, take the property through eminient domain and pay him the price the appraisers gave the Airport Authority, the price Indy is paying…

  5. Is Mr. Surack bankrolling the new soccer stadium for Fort Wayne Football Club currently under construction? FWFC is in a rival league (USL), the same league as Indy Eleven but at a lower level. How does that factor into his machinations in Indianapolis?

  6. Surack is sickening. Talks just like Trump. “THEY say talks are dead. A lot of people say…blah blah blah.”

    Who the f is he? He doesn’t know anything. Just trying to stir things up and sway the media by spewing whatever he wants. If you say it enough times, people will believe it’s true. Go back to Fort Wayne.

    1. Exactly. He doesn’t actually have any kind of access to these conversations. He’s just trying to stir the pot to screw over an entire city and have his personal playground.

  7. LOL, there is NO WAY Indy can support a MLS Team. There isn’t enough interest for the Indy 11. The City is TERRIBLE at developing property. Look at the City Market. Closed, empty, and 2 faile developers later, no idea what it’s fate will be. Same thing with the Gold building around the corner, the City just gave the developer millions just to not fold. What about the old City Hall? 2 more failed developers and it is STILL sitting abandoned. I laughed as soon as I heard the “grand idea” the City has for the Heliport. Let the City have it’s way and it too, will sit vacant with no idea what to do with it.

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