Jim Speros, the owner of Baltimore's CFL franchise, has
hired a lobbyist that will "seek legislation to provide state
funds" for a renovation of Memorial Stadium. Speros wants a
long-term commitment from the state, and "in excess" of $5M "to
make the desired improvements." Approximately $1M was spent to
renovate the facility before the team's first season last year,
$500,000 from Speros and a $500,000 loan from the city. A new
grass field, another scoreboard and upgraded sound system along
with repairs to elevators and escalators top Speros' wish list.
The city will host the 1997 Grey Cup (Ken Murray, Baltimore SUN,
1/20).
DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT: An editorial in today's Baltimore
SUN says the state of MD should not "deauthorize" its stadium
bond authority. The SUN says the nearly $200M currently
designated for a football stadium pending the arrival of an NFL
team "would not send torrents of money flowing to other needs"
(Baltimore SUN, 1/20). Robert Schulman, a potential investor in
an NFL team for Baltimore, says he "already has heard from some
teams interested in Baltimore and is pursuing the opportunities."
Schulman represented the non-Angelos group from Baltimore that
was pursuing the Bucs (Jon Morgan, Baltimore SUN, 1/20).
