Urbandale agrees to help the Bucs

By a vote of 4-1, the Urbandale City Council agreed at their meeting Tuesday night to begin negotiations to purchase the land on which the Metro Ice Sports Arena sits.

The move is an important first step in providing long-term viability for the franchise that has called Urbandale home for twenty-four years. As a condition for negotiating to purchase the land, the council placed a number of requirements on the Buccaneers, all of which the organization agreed to and have met. As a part of the arrangement, the Bucs have agreed to keep the Bucs in Urbandale for at least ten years and to begin planning to remodel and improve the existing Metro Ice Sports Arena. The Buccaneers were also required to provide financial data that showed the team could remain financially sound, should another hockey franchise enter the Des Moines area.

A no-vote by the council would have cast a large shadow over the future of the team, which, without assistance from the city, could be forced to fold or move to a new market. While no deal is yet in place to buy the land, the council has agreed to make the purchase process a top priority in the coming weeks, allowing the Buccaneers to begin planning for their silver anniversary season in 2004-05.

For more information contact Dustin Godsey, (515) 278-9757.