In Atlanta, Katie Leslie notes attorneys for the city and a group of residents "challenging the city’s decision to use public money to help build" the new Falcons stadium yesterday "argued their cases to the state’s highest court." The hearing "marks the residents’ last chance to halt the city’s plans" to issue $200M in bonds to the nearly $1.3B stadium set to open in '17. The Supreme Court "must decide whether to uphold a Fulton County Superior Court judge’s decision in May to validate the bonds backed by hotel-motel taxes, which allows the borrowing plan to go forward, or side with the residents." The justices "aren’t likely to render a decision until January, several months after city and state officials hoped to issue the bonds" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 11/4).
BEARING IT ALL: In Cincinnati, Chris Wetterich noted the Univ. of Cincinnati is "looking for architects and engineers to plan and design" a $70M overhaul of Fifth Third Arena. UC "put out a request for qualifications on Friday and indicated the design work will have two phases." The first will "require the firms to come up with a more solid cost estimate." Documents indicate that UC could "abort the project after phase one but also indicate an aggressive construction schedule if UC goes ahead with the plan." UC would "want the renovations started" by April '16 and finished by November '17. UC's teams "would play elsewhere" during the '16-17 season (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/31).
VOLUNTEER WORK: Knoxville-based Studio Four Design will design and oversee a $15M "facelift" of the Univ. of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena. The renovation will include "updated men's and women's locker rooms, upgraded restrooms, concourse improvements, mechanical and electrical upgrades and a new roof" (KNOXVILLE NEWS-SENTINEL, 11/4).
