Organizers plead with Hoffman Estates to keep arena open

A meeting next week between Hoffman Estates officials and Sears Centre ownership could determine the fate of one of the state's largest youth cheerleading events.

Bob Kolder and the volunteers from the Schaumburg Athletic Association on Tuesday pleaded before the Hoffman Estates village board to help keep the arena open so his group could host a cheerleading event which attracts 125 teams and 3,500 athletes. Kolder said the last couple weeks he's scrambled to find a building which could host the event which is in jeopardy as the Sears Centre could temporally close on Oct. 1.

"Unfortunately we found no venues that will support us," Kolder said.

Mayor William McLeod said that he and Trustee Gary Pilafas on Monday will meet with the Ryan Companies' upper management, including CEO Pat Ryan, who'll fly from Minnesota.

While the village focuses on assuming ownerhip of the money-hemmorhaging 11,000-seat arena, they'll also see if they can save the Spirit Spectacular and other events which could be moved or canceled because of closure.

McLeod took issue with Sears Centre management selling tickets to events that might not take place and pledged to be the athletic association's advocate during next week's meeting.

"We will again ask them please to honor their commitments, the deals they made with people," McLeod said.

Ryan appears ready to exit from operating the $65 million venue that opened in 2006, thanks to a $55 million-loan from the village.

A closure would cancel or move five other events. Kolder said Ryan's delays in communicating their plans have left them with few options or leverage to find a new venue. That hurts as the association announced the date more than a year ago, and it definitely hampers the future credibility of the event, Kolder said.

The event has taken place the last two years at the Sears Centre and raises about $40,000 annually. That money pays for cheerleading uniforms and practice facility rentals for the kindergarten through 8th-grade cheerleaders at the Schaumburg Athletic Association,

"We negotiated in good faith," he said.

Village officials hope Ryan will submit a clear exit strategy next week. In other Sears Centre news, Sears Holding Corp. sent in this year's $1 million naming rights payment. That money will go toward the payment of the construction loan, which the village would assume when the take over the building.

That could cost taxpayers $88.4 million over 22 years.

Arena: Event raises about $40,000 annually