Facility Notes

Twins Willing To Cover $22.4M In Upgrades To New Ballpark Plans

In Minneapolis, Mary Jane Smetanka reports Twins President Jerry Bell yesterday told the Hennepin County (MN) Board that the team "would cover $22.4[M] in upgrades to the stadium plans," including an HD scoreboard and a soffit to "hide steel beams that likely will rust and could provide a home to armies of pigeons." The budget changes, which will be voted on by the county board on February 26, increase the budget for the Twins' new ballpark from $390M to $412.4M. The changes would bring the Twins' contribution to the project to $167.4M, including infrastructure (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/12).

NINERS NEGOTIATIONS: In San Jose, Mike Swift reports Santa Clara city officials are "plunging into stadium negotiations with the [49ers]," and the city council last night "formalized a schedule and a budget." The council also "signed off on a negotiating agreement" making July 22 a soft deadline for the city and the 49ers to "finalize a plan to finance a stadium" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/13).

RACEWAY RECYCLING: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) and Levy Restaurants, the speedway's food and beverage provider, are "kicking off a 'going green' initiative" that will allow fans to recycle their aluminum cans at designated bins throughout the property, beginning with the February 29-March 2 NASCAR Weekend. LVMS and Levy are planning to "expand their recycling efforts in future years" to include various plastics, paper and cups (THATSRACIN.com, 2/11).

OREGON OFFER: University of Oregon (UO) President Dave Frohnmayer, in a letter to lawmakers, "offered to build a $12M reserve fund to help repay bonds for a new basketball arena if ticket sales don't meet expectations." The offer aims to allay "concerns that state taxpayers could be on the hook for the arena's construction cost, estimated at $200[M]" (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/13).