It’s getting very late in the game for the Rubber Bowl to make a comeback. With redevelopment plans still uncertain after years of talk, back taxes rising to nearly $200,000 and the Depression-era stadium deteriorating and dangerous, the best course calls for moving toward demolition and eventual reuse of the site.
Fortunately, the Summit County Land Bank recently has taken action to foreclose on the stadium, filing on behalf of Kristen Scalise, the county fiscal officer. The thinking is, the land bank will work with the city to find a suitable developer. For now, little of promise is on the horizon, although the site is near the Akron Fulton International Airport, with an ample 6,000-foot runway and the potential to expand its limited hangar space.
City officials stress that the first priority is to regain control of the Rubber Bowl for safety and aesthetic reasons. The site is not secure, inviting vandalism and dangerous falls. The bowl has become an eyesore for the surrounding neighborhood.
The group that purchased the stadium and seven nearby acres from the University of Akron in 2013 has yet to take the concrete steps needed to pursue its latest plan, to turn the Rubber Bowl into a venue for large concerts. Team 1 Marketing Group of Canton has in mind the likes of the Black Keys, a possibility, it should be stressed, on which the band’s agent isn’t commenting.
Another credibility gap for Team 1 involves a claim that Russ Pry, who died last year in his ninth year as county executive, promised in a phone call that the firm would not have to pay back property taxes. There is no documentation, and Pry did not share any such information with top county officials.
Team 1 also claims it has the private financing lined up to take over the stadium, pay the taxes and make the needed structural repairs, with new parking, a restaurant and main stage, all to handle six concerts a year.
Yet the firm has not pursued the two options it says are available: an application for a conditional zoning permit or a contract through which the city would take over the Rubber Bowl and lease it back to Team 1. The conditional zoning permit is necessary because the area is zoned residential. The city and the University of Akron, as public entities, were allowed to use the stadium for public events, but a private operator must gain a conditional zoning permit.
Team 1 says nothing can move forward until the zoning is resolved. At the same time, it has not taken the steps necessary to do so. In effect, it is restraining itself from action.
More, the latest ideas from Team 1 follow on the heels of the failure of its initial plan, to build a dome and bring a U.S. Football League team to town. That plan collapsed when the league fell apart, which led to Team 1’s idea to use the Rubber Bowl as an entertainment venue.
After four years and mounting back taxes, Summit County is more than justified in taking foreclosure action. Finding a productive reuse for the site is a big challenge, but it is the only realistic option on the table.