FEATURES: In an extensive piece in Sunday's L.A. TIMES,
Hiltzik & Dillman wrote under the header "Who Wins In
Stadium Shootout?" that private and public entities in CA
will be spending more on pro sports venues "than on any
other single category of local public infrastructure between
now and the new millennium." Nationwide, more than $12B in
stadium and arena construction has been completed since '90
or is underway or proposed for NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL teams.
The feature also detailed the public/private financing
contributions of major league facilities (L.A. TIMES, 7/13).
In Dallas, Ken Daley reviewed the six ballparks that have
been built in the '90s plus the D'Backs' and D-Rays' venues
that are being completed, giving them ratings of one to four
stars (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/13).
OTHER NOTES: In CA, Oakland and Alameda County
authorities agreed to pay $7.7M to a general contractor to
settle a lawsuit claiming the builder had to do "extensive,
unforseen work" two years ago during the makeover of the
Oakland Coliseum. The settlement price already had been
figured in as part of the $30M in cost overruns for the
$130M reconstruction job (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/11)....In
WA, Paul Allen's campaign for a new Seahawks stadium spent
$6.3M in seven weeks, breaking the state record for campaign
spending. Final reports also show Allen's campaign has
"outstanding debts of about $39,000" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE,
7/12)....Also in WA, stadium board officials learned that
the Mariners' retractable roof for their new ballpark can be
built "on budget." A bid for roof was $39M, $3.5M less than
estimated. The roof's total costs will be about $67M,
making the cost of the ballpark at $414M, "the most
expensive in the nation" (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 7/11).
