Facility Notes

Stadium District To Pay $30M In Series 2001B Bonds On January 2 For Lambeau Field Debt

In Green Bay, Richard Ryman reports the Green Bay/Brown County (WI) Professional Football Stadium District yesterday agreed to "pay off the $30[M] it owes on Series 2001B bonds on Jan. 2" for Lambeau Field. The district "will pay another $4[M]-plus on Series 2001A bonds on Feb. 1, reducing the original debt from $174.8[M] to about $48[M]." Stadium District Exec Dir Patrick Webb said that payments on Series 2001A bonds are "strictly scheduled and cannot be paid off early, so the debt will not be completely retired before February 2011" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 12/18).

COLD SHOULDER: In Edmonton, Frank Landry reports the Edmonton city council yesterday was "cold to a plea" from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for a new downtown arena. Council member Linda Sloan said, "I don't see that kind of facility serving the needs of Edmonton. If the Oilers or if the [NHL] want to contemplate building a facility, I think it's up to that sector to build it" (EDMONTON SUN, 12/18).

FOUR ON THE FLOOR: In Baltimore, Mirabella & Linskey reported four development teams -- Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, ESmith Legacy Inc., The Arena Development Group and Cormony Development -- submitted proposals to "build a sports and entertainment venue to replace Baltimore's aging 1st Mariner Arena." Each proposal "calls for an 18,500-seat arena" near Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Baltimore Development Corp. President Jay Brodie said that the city "expects to make a decision about whether to select one of the four teams by mid-2009." An advisory panel of state and city officials will review the proposals (Baltimore SUN, 12/17).

NOTES: A SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS editorial stated the "idea of San Jose spending public money" on a new ballpark for the A's is a "non-starter." Even when the Silicon Valley economy "rebounds, any public investment would require a referendum" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 12/16)....The Pittsburgh Planning Commission Tuesday "unanimously approved plans for a seven-story, 142-room hotel to be built adjacent" to the Penguins' new arena set to open for the 2010-11 NHL season (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 12/17).