Facility Notes

Walnut Approves Additional $150,000 For Legal Fees In Bid To Stop Proposed Stadium

In California, James Wagner reports the Walnut City Council yesterday in a 4-0 vote "approved setting aside an additional $150,000 for legal fees" in its bid to stop Majestic Realty's proposed football stadium in neighboring City of Industry, "which brings the total spending for lawyers and consultants to $470,000 since September." Walnut in March filed a lawsuit in L.A. Superior Court to "force a new environmental impact report" of the stadium, and the city's trial against Walnut and Majestic is set to begin this March. Majestic Realty VP John Semcken estimated that Walnut will "eventually spend 'millions of dollars' in litigation." Semcken: "They're just beginning" (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 8/13).

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF: In N.Y., Bart Hubbuch reports the Mets yesterday indicated that they have "begun installing large pictures of their team's famous players and historic moments" on Citi Field's Field and Promenade levels. Mets officials also are "ordering the display of team championship banners on the left-field wall, perhaps in time for this weekend's series with the Giants." Mets Owners the Wilpons have been "hearing complaints all season about the lack of Mets history reflected at the new park" (N.Y. POST, 8/13).

NOTES: The Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit tomorrow will launch their "Train to the Game" venture, "allowing NFL fans to ride the rails to Giants Stadium from anywhere on the LIRR system using a single train ticket" (NEWSDAY, 8/13)....Hamilton County (OH) Auditor Dusty Rhodes is "calling on county commissioners to close budget gaps by selling luxury boxes at Paul Brown Stadium and Great American Ball Park." The county retains a box at each stadium as part of its lease agreements with the Reds and Bengals, and Rhodes in a letter to commissioners said, "Give the suites back to the respective teams to be put on the open market for sale" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/11).