MLSE yesterday held a ground-breaking ceremony at BMO Field to "officially begin work on upgrades that will be completed over the course of three phases," according to Kurtis Larson of the TORONTO SUN. Phase 1, which is "already underway, will see 8,400 additional seats added along with additional washrooms and concession stands." The initial phase --"scheduled to be completed by next May -- will also see a dozen new suites installed, along with multiple larger suites." Capacity at the Rogers Club will "increase from 500 to 750 in an opening construction phase that will also see a new, larger HD video board installed above the north end" of the stadium. Phase 2 is "expected to begin next fall and will see roofing cover all seats with the exception of the north stand" (TORONTO SUN, 9/24). In Toronto, Josh Rubin noted as yesterday's renovations commenced, one "potential tenant -- and a few million dollars in funding -- were still missing in action." The "final stage of the renovation would include preparing the stadium to host" the CFL Argonauts. The club is "in the market for a new home" as its lease at Rogers Centre expires at the end of the '17 season. There have also been "discussions between the two sides about MLSE buying the team" from current Owner David Braley. MLSE is contributing C$95M "toward the expansion, and the City of Toronto has agreed to contribute" C$10M. A planned contribution of C$10M from the federal gov't and C$10M from the province of Ontario "has yet to materialize" (TORONTO STAR, 9/24).
