The Rams and the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, the entity that operates Edward Jones Dome, "are not releasing the team's proposal" for renovations to the venue, "even though taxpayers would likely fund the bulk of the improvements," according to a front-page piece by Matthew Hathaway of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The CVC yesterday "rejected an open-records request from the Post-Dispatch for the plan, offering a new argument by citing exemptions in the state's Sunshine Law." The Rams' plan "is a counter to one presented by the CVC," which on Feb. 1 proposed $124M in improvements. Sources said that prior to presenting the renovation plan, the CVC had "offered to reduce the Rams' lease at the Dome by five years." That would have made the lease expire in '20 instead of '25. Sources said that the CVC in exchange "wanted the Rams to waive a requirement in the lease that the Dome be a 'first-tier' facility in 15 categories." Hathaway notes that requirement "is what triggered the current round of talks on the future of the Dome." Sources also said that the Rams "rejected both offers in a letter sent to the CVC on March 1." The club "refused to release their Dome renovation plan, again citing the confidentiality provision in the lease." Sources said that the Rams' plan "did not include a cost estimate" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/2). In St. Louis, Bryan Burwell writes the best thing Rams Owner Stan Kroenke and his people "can do right now is to find a favorable resolution to the lease agreement with the CVC." If Kroenke "believes the best way to proceed with these negotiations is to keep the details of their upgrade proposal secret, then let him do it." What Kroenke is doing right now "is well within his negotiating rights," and what the CVC is doing "is also well within its rights." Burwell: "When the time comes for this to be resolved, the final proposal will end up as public as we need it to be" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/2).
