Bowling Congress Delays Decision

Is it possible that "second-tier city" Milwaukee may keep the headquarters of the U.S. Bowling Congress after all?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The U.S. Bowling Congress put off a decision on Monday night on whether to move its national headquarters to Arlington, Texas.

The organization's board of directors had expected to make a decision Monday night. However, members of the board decided more time was needed to study two competing proposals, largely because of the complexity of the offers.

The decision to postpone a final decision could be interpreted as good news for the Milwaukee 7, a group dedicated to attracting and keeping business in the Milwaukee region. Milwaukee 7 officials have said they believe their proposal is "cost-superior" to an offer in Texas.

Publicly and privately, Bowling Congress officials portrayed the Texas move as a foregone conclusion. Also noteworthy is the fact that Jeff Boje, the group's president, is a former official of the Texas-based Bowling Proprietors' Association of America.

A bowling congress official said Monday night that the board met for a little over two hours. He provided no other information, other than that congress officials would meet with staff today, and that another board meeting would be held.

At stake are an estimated 230 jobs, and Milwaukee's image as a bowling mecca.

The delay is being interpreted as a positive sign. There should be no need to delay a foregone conclusion, right?

However, I wonder if the delay is just a technicality, waiting for Arlington's plan to be complete.

...An Arlington official said Monday that the city was still fine-tuning its proposal. A spokesman for Texas governor Rick Perry said the bowling congress had made formal application for a state grant. "We are doing our due diligence and reviewing their application," the spokesman said.

Last November, the bowling congress, the governing body for bowling in the country, announced it was considering moving its headquarters from Greendale to Arlington. The plan called for partnering with the Bowling Proprietors' Association, already based in Arlington. Together, the two groups had plans to build a testing and training center.

In January, the congress took it a step further, announcing it would begin negotiations with Texas authorities.

It certainly would be a turnaround if the bowling congress decided to keep its headquarters in Milwaukee.

I hope I'm wrong but I think it's a mistake to interpret the board of directors' final decision delay on Monday night to be a hopeful sign.