Chicago Mayor Richard Daley unveiled a "bombshell" $400M
proposal on Friday to demolish Soldier Field, leaving only its
facade, while building a new sports stadium with a retractable
roof, according to Heard & Christian in the CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
Bears President Michael McCaskey and IL Governor Jim Edgar met
with Daley an hour before the mayor's news conference (CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, 9/14). The Bears' McCaskey issued a statement: "The
governor, mayor and I had a cordial meeting. The mayor presented
a new concept for Soldier Field. It's the first we have seen of
the plan and we want to study it further" (Bears).
DETAILS OF PLAN: According to the SUN-TIMES' Gillis &
Zimmermann, Daley's plan calls for spending $358M on stadium
improvements and $37M on related projects, including walkways.
There are no new taxes planned to help fund the $395M project.
The Bears' contribution will be $175M and will come from sources
such as skybox sales and an initial call for selling 12,700 PSLs,
with an average cost of $800. The Metropolitan Pier and
Exposition Authority would provide $160M in bonds supported by
tourism-related taxes, provided the IL Legislature approves. An
additional $60M in bonds, supported by Soldier Field revenue,
would cover the rest. Lowering the playing surface by 23 feet
and raising the top level of the stadium, would increase seating
capacity to 72,700, up from 66,924. There would be 176 skyboxes,
a high-tech sound system, two new scoreboards, a Bears Hall of
Fame and a new museum (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/15).
REACTION TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT: The Tribune's Don Pierson
writes that "because it is his only offer," McCaskey must make it
work "not only for himself but also for Bears fans." NFL Dir of
Communications Greg Aiello, on the potential of Chicago hosting a
Super Bowl: "If you can have a Super Bowl in Minneapolis and
Pontiac, Mich., you can certainly have one in Chicago if they
have a dome" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/15). Rick Telander of the SUN-
TIMES raises questions on the plan including the feasibility of
playing on a grass field in a retractable dome. He writes that
"folks who stand to make a tidy profit from this venture say it
will work. But do they know for sure? How do they know $400M
will do it? We normal citizens can't comprehend a figure like
$400M. It's funny money" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/15) On Sunday,
the city of Chicago distributed 10,000 fliers touting "the field
house for every season." McCaskey addressed fans on a local
radio show: "We need a new stadium and a new source of revenue
and [Daley's dome] might achieve that" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/16).
