Facility Notes

In K.C., Lynn Horsley reports a City Council committee yesterday “supported awarding a five-year Kemper Arena management deal” to AEG, which manages Sprint Center. Final approval is not likely “until after the new City Council is sworn in next week.” Global Spectrum, whose current Kemper Arena deal expires December 31, and Compass Facility Management also bid on the contract (K.C. STAR, 4/26).

San Jose Mayor Backing Plan For HP Pavilion Upgrades

MINOR PROBLEM: MLB Rangers President Jeff Cogen indicated in a letter to Grand Prairie Mayor Charles England and City Council members that the team “does not support efforts to build a minor league stadium” in the city. Cogen wrote, “We strongly believe that this proposed stadium will be counterproductive for both the [Rangers] and the taxpayers of Grand Prairie.” Cogen said that he wrote the letter “after learning that city officials claimed during a public meeting [last] Thursday that the Rangers back the project” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/25).

LIGHT IT UP: San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed on Tuesday “endorsed new subsidies for the [Sharks] to buy better audio and visual equipment for HP Pavilion,” including a scoreboard, sound system and flashing LED. The equipment will cost $16.5M, which will be evenly split between the city and the team. When asked how the subsidy meshed with his call for fiscal restraint, Reed said that the cost “was justified as ‘part of our long-term strategy to increase revenue to the city through economic development’” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 4/25).