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Soccer stadium bill appears dead

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The bill to finance a new soccer stadium for the Indy Eleven will die without a vote in the General Assembly.

That’s the word from key lawmaker but the team is not giving up.

Representative Todd Huston (R-Fishers) says there wasn’t enough time to craft an acceptable deal for a new soccer stadium before Wednesday’s midnight deadline in the 2015 General Assembly.

It means that plans to build a new stadium on the site of Carroll Stadium at IUPUI, where the team plays now, are off the table.

Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir had agreed to a plan that called for a state investment of $25 million toward a $50 to $60 million stadium that would be owned by Indiana University.

It’s not clear where the snag developed in last minute negotiations.

“We just couldn’t get quite there,” said Huston, “and rather than put a bill in place that we didn’t think provided the type opportunities that we wanted to provide, we thought better off to let it rest.”

“Until it’s over we’re gonna keep having conversations and hold out hope,” said Paul Okeson, senior adviser to Ozdemir.

And if it fails?

“This is critically important,” he said. “We think it’s good for all parties involved, the city and the state and, of course, our organization and so we’ll come back and try again next year.”

But the Indy Eleven will have difficulty winning approval for a new stadium next year because it’s not a budget session for the General Assembly.

It’s more likely a debate that will take place in 2017.