Univ. of California-Berkley athletic department officials have promised that the $321M "renovation of Memorial Stadium will be complete enough for the facility to be up and running" for the football team's home opener on Sept. 1, according to Jeff Faraudo of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE. Cal AD Sandy Barbour said of the opener against Nevada, "I have supreme confidence we'll play a football game on Sept. 1." During a tour of the stadium Thursday, Cal Assistant AD and Project Manager Bob Milano Jr. "echoed that all-systems-go optimism." Milano said that the "only elements that might not be complete by the opener will be decorative, such as signage or landscaping." Restrooms, concessions, seating and scoreboards "all will be ready." He said, "Our goal is to have fans arrive and not have them notice something isn't done. I think we're on target for that." New video screens "will be hung in early August." Matrix artificial turf "will be laid the first two weeks of August, and Milano said he anticipates the team will get the chance to practice on the new field several times before the Nevada game." About 90% of the aluminum benches and chair-back seats "are in place within the bowl." The stadium lights and sound system "are installed and await testing." Barbour expects a "surge in sales once fans are exposed to the new University Club-level seating along the top of the west press box." Those high-end seats "will be covered but outdoors and offer views of the bay from a deck on the backside" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 7/13).
