Some of the recent news stories:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-10/h ... re/9962834
Derwent Entertainment Centre hotel and upgrades worth $90m part of purchase pitch
By Cameron Gooley
Updated 58 minutes ago
A consortium bidding to buy the Derwent Entertainment Centre (DEC) wants to spend more than $90 million transforming the site into a world-class sports and entertainment precinct.
The Glenorchy City Council has voted to sell the centre after receiving an unsolicited offer from Melbourne-based company and Hobart Chargers sponsor, HydraPlay.
HydraPlay spokesman, former Tasmanian premier David Bartlett, told ABC Radio Hobart the group is prepared to spend up to $4 million to immediately upgrade the centre.
This would be to bring the centre in line with standards for the National Basketball League, ahead of a Tasmanian bid to join the competition.
However, the consortium's plans do not end there — they also want to build a number of public facilities including a marina, and bring at least a dozen more international and national music acts to the centre.
"The consortium has a vision to invest some $80–90 million on the site over the next three to five years," Mr Bartlett said.
"That would provide a hotel which, of course, a site adjacent and facing MONA is a great bonus to the Tasmanian tourism industry, cafes, restaurants, outdoor entertainment areas.
"Indeed the grand vision over the five to 10 years, and this would obviously involve working further with council, would be to have a marina and a range of other public facilities out there that draw the public to it.
"The consortium is absolutely committed to retaining the access for community use."
The centre costs Glenorchy Council over $1 million a year in operational and depreciation losses, a heavy price to pay given their current financial woes.
Mr Bartlett described the council's decision to sell off the centre as sensible.
"I live in Kingborough, every time me and my mates who live in Kingborough buy a ticket to go see the Foo Fighters, the ratepayers of Glenorchy are subsidising that ticket to the tune of $1 million a year," he said.
Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston said the council would now seek public submissions.
"For the next 21 days we're inviting the public and anyone who would like to express an interest in purchasing the DEC to contact us," she said.
"We're having a valuation done and that's a commercially in-confidence matter."
She said the sale land would not include the foreshore.
"It's only the title including the DEC and its immediate surrounds," she said.
https://www.themercury.com.au/sport/bas ... c8ee5dd373
Consortium to push for DEC purchase with or without NBL backing
JULY 10, 2018
THE consortium behind the push to buy the Derwent Entertainment Centre will invest between $80 million and $90 million in a sports and entertainment precinct without any guarantee of a National Basketball League licence.
Consortium spokesman, Hobart Chargers president and former Tasmanian premier David Bartlett, made the commitment on Tuesday after the Glenorchy City Council voted unanimously to offload the DEC.
Mr Bartlett would not disclose the exact amount offered for the DEC by the consortium, backed by Hydraplay, led by Justin Hickey.
The DEC, owned and operated by the council, has become a burden on rate payers, suffering a $1,094,000 loss for 2016-17.
The proposal will include a $3 million to $4 million upgrade of the DEC, a hotel and cafes to create a sports and entertainment precinct and the largest investment in Glenorchy since Mona.
"The NBL licence is a risk, we have to present a case to the NBL, there are no guarantees there," Mr Bartlett said.
"But the consortium is moving forward with this without making it a criteria or condition of doing the transaction with the Glenorchy City Council.
"That transaction we hope will happen in the coming weeks where the transaction to get an NBL franchise licence is six months, 12 months away.
"That is just the way the timing is going to work.
"That is a commercial risk, no doubt about it, for the consortium, but it is a commercial risk they are prepared to take."
The consortium hopes to massively increase the number of concerts and other entertainment attractions at the venue as well as host a Tasmanian NBL team.
The DEC is open to rival bids from other consortiums or companies.
The consortium’s bid contains clauses to allow the venue to still be used by the community.
"The consortium is absolutely willing to pay fair value for the asset but I want to make it clear too that the consortium is very, very mindful of the community and its needs," Mr Bartlett said.
"In our proposal we’ve included community rights for things like dance eisteddfods and so on in perpetuity.
"We want this to work for the Glenorchy community and the wider southern Tasmania community."
If successful with the council and the NBL, the venture would be the only franchise to own its venue — a significant advantage when it comes to scheduling and ticketing.
There will be a four-week public consultation period ahead of a final sale.
Southern Huskies consortium releases first pictures of its vision for the Derwent Entertainment Centre
July 21, 2018 12:00am
THE consortium aiming to shoot Tasmania back into basketball’s national competition has released the first pictures of its vision for the Derwent Entertainment Centre.
The Southern Huskies consortium, led by Hobart Chargers president David Bartlett and former basketballer Justin Hickey, has put in an offer to buy the DEC and wants to turn it into a world-class sport and entertainment precinct.
Concept drawings released on Friday show a revamped court and exterior, and initial ideas for a 140-room hotel proposed for the site.
Mr Bartlett said the integrated hotel would be a mid-range hotel, similar to a Vibe hotel.
“It will be cost effective so families can stay there,” he said. “We expect that with a hotel on site we can attract more tournaments.”
The consortium hopes to be presenting its case before the NBL by November at the latest.
The acquisition of the DEC from the Glenorchy City Council is a significant part of the consortium’s bid.
Should that deal be finalised within the next month, the Southern Huskies are poised to pounce on the NBL in search of the 10th licence, Mr Bartlett said.
“We have some informal meetings coming up with the NBL and [league owner Larry] Kestelman, but our plan at this stage is we want to go on a really big recruitment drive and obviously we need to do the DEC deal, that is three to four weeks away,” Mr Bartlett said.
“We hope that gets down and, if then, we hope by the end of October, early November, we’d be presenting to the NBL.
“We are building a bid book that is going to have everything in it and what I hope is that we do set a date and we go and do a formal presentation and actually put a punctuation mark on when we want this done by, but we don’t want to scare the horses either.”
The redevelopment of the DEC would include a four-panel drop-down scoreboard, NBA-style changerooms with individual warm-up courts, 1600 new premium seats, a complete food and beverage revamp and new court, backboards and 30-second shot clocks. The Southern Huskies will invest $3 million to $4 million into the DEC overhaul in the first six months should their offer for the venue be successful — all part of the plan for a new sports and entertainment precinct for the area totalling up to $90 million.
Mr Bartlett said he wanted the precinct to be used “all day, every day” for sport, dining, or entertainment.
He said more detailed plans would be developed if the consortium’s bid to buy the DEC is successful.
Glenorchy City Council has decided to try to sell the DEC and will receive objections and expressions of interest until August 3.
