TOPEKA — Inside the Docking State Office Building, Governor Laura Kelly and Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt were shaking hands. The beloved NFL franchise would be moving from Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas.
Outside of the downtown Topeka building, Steve Bushnell sat on a ledge with the Statehouse towering over him. Chiefs flags planted in the ground waved around him as he sat patiently.
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“When you hear the Chiefs are going to be in Topeka,” Bushnell said, “well, shoot, let’s go down and see what’s going on and see if we can make it official.”
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Bushnell is the Seaman baseball head coach and girls’ wrestling coach. He was inducted into the Kansas State High School Activities Association Hall of Fame this year, too.
Bushnell has travelled the country to see the Chiefs play throughout his lifetime. When they were in his backyard, he had to support them.
Bushnell is in favor of the move to Wyandotte County. He’s a native of Kansas City, Kansas, where he lived for the first 18 years of his life.
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“I’m so excited for Kansas and the Kansas City metro area to have a pro franchise on the Kansas side,” Bushnell said. “I think it’s a no-brainer,”
Bushnell will miss Arrowhead Stadium, he said. He went to his first game at 8 years old when the Chiefs lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 on Nov. 21, 1976. Bushnell has followed the Chiefs for his entire life and was in attendance for Super Bowl 54 and 58.
“If I can do all that, I can drive 10 minutes to the Statehouse,” Bushnell laughed. “This is pretty cool to see Clark Hunt, (Chiefs president) Mark Donovan and the Chiefs team come to Topeka and Governor Kelly and the legislature to get this done.
“Pretty historic day.”
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Topeka’s Steve Bushnell sits outside the Robert B. Docking State Office Building. The Chiefs fan was outside to show his support for the team’s move to Kansas.
While Bushnell is in favor of the move to the new domed stadium, it’s been a pretty contentious week on social media for Chiefs fans.
Some Chiefs fans are thrilled for the move with an updated stadium and hotels around the district. Others are upset simply because their beloved Arrowhead Stadium, which has been the home of the Chiefs for over 50 years, will be no more.
The price of this new venture is also concerning to many fans. The new stadium, practice facility and team headquarters has an estimated cost of $3 billion. The state government has committed to providing up to $1.8 billion in public funding, or up to 60% of the total stadium budget. The other 40% must be provided through private funding, and the Chiefs are responsible for any cost overruns.
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The $1.8 billion will come from STAR bonds, which use sales tax revenue generated in a district around a new development to pay off the debt from the bonds.
“Very significantly, this agreement protects Kansas taxpayers with the state portion coming from revenue generated by the stadium, entertainment venues and the STAR bond district, as well as lottery funds,” Gov. Laura Kelly said.
Liam Keating covers high school sports and Washburn University for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: What Kansas City Chiefs fans are saying about $3 billion stadium deal