'stormtroopers?' Ins, Advocate Differ On 
Immigrants' Treatment 
Roundup Of 137 At Scranton Meat-packing 
Plant Was `outlandish,' Volunteer Says. Not So, 
Says An Ins Director.

Activist `outraged' By Racist Posters 
The Fliers Contain Verbal Attacks On Black People And Bear The Address Of The 
`aryan Racial Loyalist Party.'

By STEVE SEMBRAT
 Thursday, December 15, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A 





Times Leader Assistant Sports Editor &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILKES-BARRE TWP. -- An American Hockey League team playing at the planned
Luzerne County Convention Center could draw fewer fans than the league average
and still be successful for the facility. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Studies by a national consultant say an AHL team playing in Wilkes-Barre
needs to draw 168,000 fans per season to help the arena/convention center
operate in the black. That breaks down to an average of 4,200 fans for 40 home
dates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This season, the AHL is averaging 4,668 fans per game. If the new team that
begins play in the 1997-98 season can match that average, it will draw even
more revenue than expected for the 10,000-seat facility to be built at the
Highland Industrial Park in Wilkes-Barre Township. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The AHL has guaranteed the area a franchise for the 1997-98 season.
Ownership is yet to be determined, but state Rep. Kevin Blaum, vice chairman
of the Luzerne County Convention Center Authority, said Tuesday he favors
having the county own at least 51 percent of the team. That way, Blaum said,
the facility's anchor tenant will never move. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Feasibility studies done by Deloitte &amp; Touche count on an AHL hockey team
as the anchor tenant, filling about one-third of the dates for the convention
center. The study figures the team will produce $875,000 of the projected
$3.479 million in total revenue in 1997. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The $875,000 will come in the form of facility rental, parking,
concessions, novelties, box office receipts and advertising. Here's how the
study arrived at that figure: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Facility rental: the convention center is to be paid $8,000 per date by the
AHL team. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Parking: parking will cost $2.50 per car, with the study figuring one car
for every 2.5 fans. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Concessions: each fan is expected to spend about $4 per game in food and
drink, with 15 percent of the gross going to the convention center. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Novelty: each fan is also expected to spend another $1 on souvenirs, with
20 percent going to the convention center. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Box office receipts: the convention center will keep 32.5 cents for every
ticket it sells. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Advertising: the convention center will keep all the money it makes from
ads. For example, sponsors pay money to have their company logo put on the
boards at hockey games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The convention center will also get big bucks from luxury boxes it sells
for all events ($720,000, much of that already guaranteed). The rest of the
$3.479 million in revenues would be generated by other events. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The study lists the average price of an AHL ticket at $9.25. Based on that,
it would cost just under $40 for tickets and parking to take a family of four
to a game. The cost of concessions would make the night more expensive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So if the AHL only needs to draw 4,200 fans per game, why is the convention
center projected for 10,000 seats? The reason is that concerts and some other
events need to draw more for the facility to run in the black. Also, there is
the potential to draw bigger crowds for AHL games. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hershey draws 6,307 fans per game in a 7,200-seat arena in a market that is
smaller than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Hershe

At Least 4,200 Fans A Game Is Team's Goal A National Consultant Outlines The Economics Of Putting A Team In The Projected Arena