Officials from the City of Houston, Harris County and
the NFL broke ground on a $367M football stadium Thursday
and "proclaimed it a fitting replacement to the nearby
Astrodome," according to Eric Berger of the HOUSTON
CHRONICLE. League and city execs "praised" team Owner Bob
McNair for leading the NFL's return to Houston. The county-
owned 69,500-seat stadium will be the NFL's first
retractable-roof facility and will have 165 private suites.
By way of hotel, motel and car-rental taxes collected by the
Harris County-Houston Sports Authority, the public "is
expected to pay about" $250M toward designing, constructing
and equipping the stadium. McNair will raise $50M from PSL
sales, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo "will add
nearly" $70M. Manhattan Construction Co. VP/Houston
Division Leonard Rejcek said that construction will begin
"in earnest" next week, when project managers Manhattan and
Beers Construction Co. gain access to the site and by the
end of March, 50 to 100 workers will begin excavating the
site and pouring foundations. The facility is scheduled to
be completed by August, 2002 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/10).
EYES ON ROCKETS? In Houston, Mickey Herskowitz writes
that yesterday's groundbreaking ceremony is "certain to have
at least two consequences," including increased "pressure"
to approve a new Rockets arena (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/10).
