Justice Dept. Sets Deadline For Liberty Bowl To Comply With ADA

U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) officials have "notified Memphis that the city has until September 2010 to update Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in compliance with" the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a "project that officials say will cost more than" $40M, according to Jim Masilak of the Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL. Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton said he is "deeply troubled by the timeline the [DOJ] has given us to get this done. From my view, it's impractical." Herenton said that he "would not renew his previous calls for a new stadium at the fairgrounds." The DOJ is "requiring the city to provide 600 seats for the disabled to keep the 43-year-old stadium open." The city is "retaining outside counsel in a bid to negotiate more time to complete the work" (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 2/18).