Bills lease negotiations to begin soon

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) - Some big signings give Bills fans good reason to be excited for the upcoming season. But with the stadium lease set to expire next year, the long-term future of the franchise hangs in the balance.

A new lease needs to be negotiated to keep the team playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The team is reviewing what needs to be fixed and improved. And the county has hired outside legal counsel to negotiate.

"I think you have to be concerned there isn't too much public money," says former Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski.

A life-long fan of the Buffalo Bills, in 1998 then-county executive Dennis Gorski was responsible for working out a deal to keep the team from moving. It took time, but he got it done because the Bills were realistic about what could be done with Western New York's economy.

"The Buffalo Bills are not really asking for what other communities have asked for. Brand new stadiums with luxurious suits and all the revenue going to them," Gorski says.

For the bills to sign another long-term contract to play at the Ralph, there will be millions of dollars of renovations that need to be paid for. Reports indicate anywhere from 100 to 150 million dollars. That means help from the state.

Law firm Nixon Peabody is negotiating for the county, and they have experience working with New York state lawmakers.

"They recently represented the Mets, Yankees, and soon to be Brooklyn Nets in their negotiations with the state. So they have a wealth of knowledge of what the state is capable of doing," says Matt Sabuda, Chairman of Freedom For Fans Buffalo.

County Executive Mark Poloncarz says he wants the deal done by training camp this summer. An ambitious goal.

"If the county executive gets a deal in place by training camp he's a better negotiator than I. And I wish him well and hope he can," Gorski says.

The deal 14 years ago took about a year of negotiations with the Bills. The Bills expect to have their stadium study done by the end of March. That will indicate how much money they hope to receive for fixes and improvements.