A hockey arena and community theater in New Tampa may no longer be a pipe dream now that Hillsborough County commissioners have agreed to set aside county land for the projects.
It now will be up to two private groups backing the enterprise to find money to finance construction and operating costs.
"I'm like a racehorse; I'm ready to bolt out of here," said Jim Mennie, president of Tampa Bay Sportsplex Inc., after the vote.
Mennie and Doug Wall, president of the New Tampa Players troupe, said the commission's action Wednesday marked the culmination of five years of talks with county officials.
The commission voted 6-0 at the urging of Chairman Ken Hagan, a longtime backer of the project. Commissioner Al Higginbotham was not present.
The county will reserve 13.4 wooded acres on the west side of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, across from Hunter's Green, for the project. Commissioners voted in 2007 to transfer the land, valued at $3.1 million, to the county Parks and Recreation Department for a park.
Tampa Bay Sportsplex Inc. and New Tampa Players, both nonprofit groups, will be required to build their own facilities at the park with no financial assistance from the county.
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