RAMPAGE OWNER SCOFFS AT PROPOSAL

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 12, 1993                   TAG: 9301120173
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
RAMPAGE OWNER SCOFFS AT PROPOSAL
Unless the Roanoke Civic Center Commission is willing to make numerous concessions in its proposed deal for 1993-94, the chances of the Roanoke Valley keeping its East Coast Hockey League franchise appear to be dead.
After surveying the commission's initial proposal on Monday night, Roanoke Valley Rampage owner Larry Revo conceded "numerous things would have to be changed" in order for him to even consider moving the club into the civic center for next season.
"It's just not the kind of proposal that would influence a person who has lost money here to want to give it a shot," Revo said. "If one has other options, and one thinks that other places could hold out the possibility of doing much better, this is not the kind of proposal that's going to make an owner want to give it a shot."
The proposal calls for a $2,200 per game rental fee, plus an additional fee of approximately $800 for use of civic center staffing.
"As it stands, it's a proposal that would put it at the very, very top in terms of how much arenas in the really big cities are charging. If it wasn't the most expensive, it would be right at the top," Revo said.
Revo, whose Rampage is drawing an ECHL-low 1,622 fans per game this season at the Vinton LancerLot, said the rental fee and staffing fee are just part of the problems of the proposal.
"There are a lot of areas beside just the amount of money per night," he said. "There's also the question of offices, which virtually every team gets. Then there's practice time, dates and so forth.
"Practice is a good question. We'd obviously have to negotiate with [LancerLot owner] Henry Brabham for ice time.
"And the dates they've given me are very unattractive."
Roanoke City Councilman Delvis "Mac" McCadden, who spurred the civic center's attempt to strike a deal with Revo, delivered the proposal to Revo on Monday afternoon. Revo said McCadden, who serves as a liason between City Council and the civic center commission, gave him some hope that certain ammendments could be made.
"I don't think this is the end at all," Revo said. "I think this is their first proposal. I'm going to give back to Mac a list of things that would have to be changed . . . a counter-proposal, I guess you could say."
Revo said he expected to have his list of proposed changes drawn up by Thursday.
"Mac indicated to me they could make changes. Whether or not it's enough, I don't think Mac knows. He wants it to work. He's sure spending a lot of time on this."
McCadden, who said earlier that losing the hockey team would "be another thorn in Roanoke's reputation as a `no-draw' city", said he's confident some parts of the proposal could be renegotiated.
"There's been a significant move created here," McCadden said. "But it's still not there in terms of what we have to have. The dates to play are limited. But if we can live through next season, I think things would be OK after that."
If the Rampage can't work a deal with the civic center, Revo will move the franchise to another city - most likely, Syracuse, N.Y.
When asked if he had received a proposal from Syracuse officials, Revo said, "Not yet, but I think it's coming shortly."

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB