USA TODAY's Nick McCarvel noted Arthur Ashe Stadium last week "debuted a roof that is a work in progress," and the new look "has been met with (mostly) good reviews." Roger Federer said that the court "plays louder, both the tennis and the crowd." Others have "noted that the swirling, oftentimes-gusty winds that can wreak havoc in the bowled stadium have been eliminated because of the partial covering." Serena Williams: "It feels more intimate, which is weird, but it does. It feels more private. It feels like a dome" (USA TODAY, 9/7).
ME, YOU AND THE IGLOO: Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto on Friday said that the public "should get a cut of the sale of the Penguins if the deal includes development rights to the 28-acre former Civic Arena site." In Pittsburgh, Menendez & Lord noted the mayor confirmed that city, county, Sports Exhibition Authority and Urban Redevelopment Authority lawyers "are negotiating with the Penguins to ensure that return on the significant public investment will be rewarded." Peduto: "There’s been a lot of money, public money, that’s gone into that site. Much more than they’ve (Penguins) put in -- exponentially more" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 9/5).
ASLEEP IN THE DESERT: In Phoenix, Peter Corbett in a front-page piece reports the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority, which oversees Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, "made its debt payments on the building over the past four years" but was nearly $48M "short in meeting its voter-approved obligations for tourism promotion, Cactus League ballparks, youth sports and its own operations." The authority is facing a $34M "shortfall for those categories over the next five years." Meanwhile, a lower-court rental-car tax ruling, which was "ruled unconstitutional" in June '14, generated $122M for the authority from '01-14. If the ruling is upheld, the authority will face "severe financial consequences" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 9/8).
