DISNEY, ANAHEIM MAKE IT OFFICIAL.Byline: Eric Noland Daily News Staff Writer Mouse ears nudged the halo off the top of the baseball cap Wednesday, as Anaheim and the Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Co. - both of whom declared three weeks ago that their renovation plan for Anaheim Stadium was dead - entered into an agreement that clears the way for Disney to assume part ownership and operational control of the Angels. The Anaheim City Council, by a narrow vote of 3-2, approved a memorandum of agreement A memorandum of agreement (MOA) or cooperative agreement is a document written between parties to cooperatively work together on an agreed upon project or meet an agreed upon objective. The purpose of an MOA is to have a written understanding of the agreement between parties. with the entertainment giant to turn the stadium into a baseball-only facility, and moments later Disney announced that it was renewing its agreement to buy the Angels from owners Gene and Jackie Autry Jackie Autry, (born Jacqueline Ellam) the former owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and widow of singer, actor and businessman Gene Autry. She is the Honorary President of Major League Baseball's American League, an office she has held since 1999. . Disney will assume 25-percent ownership in the team and managerial control, and will have an option to buy the remainder upon the death of Gene Autry, 88. The deals are expected to close May 17, when a formal lease arrangement is completed with the city. ``Sometimes deals have to literally die before they can be resurrected,'' Tony Tavares, president of Disney Sports Enterprises, said of the previous breakdown in talks. ``I think a cooling-off period An interval of time during which no action of a specific type can be taken by either side in a dispute. An automatic delay in certain jurisdictions, apart from ordinary court delays, between the time when Divorce papers are filed and the divorce hearing takes place. , if you will, had to happen.'' The agreement calls for Disney to put up $70 million and Anaheim $30 million for a major renovation of the stadium - construction could begin as early as September, Tavares said - and for the Angels to drop the California in their name and take on Anaheim, conforming to the example of pro hockey's Mighty Ducks
Mighty Ducks is a half-hour Disney animated series aired on ABC and The Disney Afternoon in the fall of 1996. Twenty-six episodes total were produced. . Disney also agrees to lease Anaheim Stadium for 33 years (although there is a 20-year review option) and surrender its demands for revenue from any future football stadium. Anaheim pledges to scale down its proposed Sportstown complex so as not to jeopardize jeop·ard·ize tr.v. jeop·ard·ized, jeop·ard·iz·ing, jeop·ard·izes To expose to loss or injury; imperil. See Synonyms at endanger. parking space, and also to let Disney keep revenues from a wide variety of sources, including signage and the naming of the stadium. It was these latter factors that caused the two City Council members, Thomas Tait and Bob Zemel, to turn thumbs down in their votes. ``I see the benefits of having Disney on the team,'' said Tait, ``but at what cost? The cost is $30 million, and it comes out of the City of Anaheim.'' Zemel, who voiced concern about the fact that there is no ``revenue stream'' to recoup recoup To sell an asset at a price sufficient to recover the original outlay or to offset a previous loss. the city's committed money, said, ``I don't think we went hard enough. I don't think we went far enough.'' |
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