Thursday, May 24, 2012
By Edward D. Murphy emurphy@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer
PORTLAND – The managing owner of the Portland Pirates and the chair of the Cumberland County Civic Center's board of trustees met for about 90 minutes on Wednesday and plan to talk again either today or Friday about a new lease between the hockey team and the arena.
Neal Pratt, the trustees' chairman, said he and Pirates owner Brian Petrovek are continuing to try to reach agreement on a new lease to replace the one that expires April 30. Petrovek has also been negotiating with the TImes Union Center in Albany, which is looking to replace its American Hockey League team that will move to Charlotte, N.C., after this season ends.
Pratt declined to offer specifics on the state of the negotiations, but said he's hopeful that the talks will be resolved in a few days and said he and Petrovek agree they need to wrap up soon. Petrovek has not returned calls seeking comment this week on the negotiations.
Petrovek has proposed a wide-ranging realignment of the Pirates' financial relationship with the Civic Center. He wants the team and the arena to share revenues from naming rights to concession sales.
The trustees met last Friday and rejected Petrovek's plan, but offered a few changes to the existing lease. Pratt noted that any negotiated changes to the lease beyond what the trustees put forward last week would need to be approved by the trustees.
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