The San Antonio City Council was told yesterday that
the Spurs' new $157M arena plan "contains a shortfall" of
$68M to $75M, an "assertion hotly disputed" by team Chair
Peter Holt, according to Christopher Anderson of the S.A.
EXPRESS-NEWS. City officials "predicted" at a hearing last
night that the shortfall "would put San Antonio's financial
reputation at risk." Holt: "We disagree dramatically with
the assumptions used by city staff and their consultants to
arrive at this figure." Holt added that the arena plan
would succeed "if more time is granted to work out any
problems." More than 100 people attended the hearing at
City Council chambers and "about" 20 people addressed the
council. The North East School District board will vote
Monday on whether "to order staff to pull out of negotiation
with the Spurs" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/11).
YOU'VE GOT MAIL: Also in San Antonio, a six month old
e-mail message was released yesterday showing that North
East School Board President Bruce Bennett "told a top-
ranking Spurs official other school trustees likely would
support a new basketball arena." Bennett also asked about
employment opportunities. Spurs Exec VP Leo Gomez said the
message "explains" the reason the team "postponed offering
incentives to the school district to participate in the
project and why Bennett's adamant opposition shocked him."
Bennett called Gomez's accusations "smear tactics" and said
that when he wrote the message "he didn't know how the
Spurs' funding plan for the proposed arena at the Longhorn
Quarry would affect the district" (EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/11).
