Lambeau Field from the north parking lot. (WTAQ/Casey Nelson)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As Lambeau Field lease negotiations remain stalled, the Green Bay Packers have asked the Green Bay/Brown County Professional Football Stadium District to step in to the talks with the city of Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the city says the Packers are “grossly mischaracterizing” its views and actions.
The team on Wednesday released letters it sent both to Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and to the stadium district board.
The city walked away from negotiations in January and the Packers say there has only been one meeting since then, despite the Packers desire to meet with city officials.
The current lease for Lambeau Field is between the Packers, the Stadium District and the city. It expires in 2032, but the Packers have options to extend it another 10 years.
Last year, the Packers paid the city about $1.1 million to use Lambeau Field. The current lease calls for an annual increase of 2.75%.
The Packers say the latest lease offer made to the city would extend it by 30 years.
The lease extension offer calls for the team to spend $1.5 billion to improve and maintain the stadium during that time. In exchange, the Packers want to pay the stadium less in rent, which city officials maintain is the major issue.
For the stalled negotiations, the Packers are laying blame with Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich in letters sent to the city and stadium district board.
The team says Genrich and the city are playing politics with minor issues, distracting from lease negotiations.
The team claims the city is upset about stadium railings that were sold and is also demanding the team use the city’s emergency medical services on field for players.
The Packers claim city emergency medical services showed up to the game this Sunday, even though the team insisted operations should remain status-quo.
In a statement, City of Green Bay Chief of Operations Joe Faulds writes, “The City of Green Bay is not interested in a public debate with the Packers, other than to say the Packers are grossly mischaracterizing our views and actions.”
This afternoon, Packers Director of Public Affairs Aaron Popkey explained the longer negotiations take, the more expensive upgrades to the stadium could be. He says that could end up requiring the team to ask for taxpayer money – something the team planned to avoid with the lease terms it has been offering the city.
“There’s a plan in place now to address those needs without public tax money and by waiting, by refusing to negotiate, that endangers that plan that won’t be able to be engaged without public tax money,” said Popkey. “That’s why it is important now to talk about the lease, to get an extended lease.”
“As we have stated previously, our taxpayers deserve nothing less than what they’re currently entitled to under the existing lease, which has 18 years remaining, and absolutely not the $30 million loss the Packers proposed,” writes Faulds in his statement. “If and when the Packers are interested in submitting a proposal that reflects the thoughtful conversations that took place over several months between the two parties, the City will be happy to consider them and respond appropriately.”
Popkey says it is presumptuous of the city to think current lease terms would extend beyond 2032.
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