Facility Notes
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Chicago Alderman Proposing Ban Against Vendors
Hawking Wares Outside Of Wrigley Field |
In Chicago, Lisa Black noted vendors outside Wrigley Field "reacted angrily Friday to an alderman's proposal to move them two blocks from the ballpark." The vendors said that they "need to earn a living." Vendor John Baker: "We all went out there, got our permits and spent thousands of dollars on inventory, and now they are going to change the rules in the middle of the summer." Several vendors said that they "will be unable to sell merchandise outside the immediate vicinity of the park." Under the proposal, the ban "would begin two hours before and end two hours after baseball games or concerts." Black noted "similar restrictions are in place outside U.S. Cellular Field and other ballparks" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/4).
EARLY DRAWINGS: Sources said that Forest City Ratner Chair & CEO and Nets Owner Bruce Ratner has told senior members of N.Y. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration that the Barclays Center renderings leaked to the media last month were "premature and do not reflect his intentions for the project." While Ratner is said to have "reaffirmed his commitment to a 'world-class' design, he faces the challenge of improving it without substantially raising the cost" (CRAINSNEWYORK.com, 7/2).
ON TARGET: In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman reported Target is "interested in keep[ing] the naming rights on Target Center, a contract that has two years left, despite the company's big investment in the naming rights" for the Twins' new Target Field. Target and the T'Wolves are "negotiating for an extension at the present time" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/5).
MAGIC KINGDOM: In Orlando, Kyle Hightower reported the Magic's new arena is "still on schedule to make its October 2010 opening date." Magic COO Alex Martins: "We feel like we're truly taking the best of every (arena) in North America and bringing it into one spot." Martins said that the crew installing the concrete "should be done within a few weeks." They will then be "replaced by the steel construction team that has already started but is expected to be 100[%] under way by the end" of this week. Meanwhile, Hightower noted the Magic are "certainly already capitalizing on" their NBA Finals appearance with season-ticket sales that have "reached 11,500." That number was at "just 5,500" four years ago (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/3).
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