Facility Notes
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Cost For Chargers To Break Qualcomm Stadium
Lease Drops Significantly In '11 |
In a front-page piece for the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, Matthew Hall noted while the Chargers will play at Qualcomm Stadium this season, "beyond that, the team won't make any guarantees." The team's lease expires in '20, and the cost to break its lease is $54.6M next year and $25.8M in '11. Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani said that the club's search for a new stadium will "continue despite the economy and the team's persistent failure to find a suitable spot in San Diego County." Fabiani: "Given where we sit, it's unlikely that a plan surfaces before the end of the season. We certainly hope to be doing what we're doing next year, which is working on San Diego County. ... Hopefully, once the economy turns around, we will have secured a publicly acceptable site, have a financing plan that people are comfortable with and we'll be able to go into the credit markets" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/15).
TRAIN IN VAIN? In New Jersey, Tom Davis wrote the new "Train to the Game" rail line that allows fans to travel to Giants Stadium "could become the least-expensive, but least-used, train route in New Jersey," as nearly 80% of the time the railroad "won't even be open -- not even for Nets games." New Jersey Transit is "defending itself against criticism the line will operate about 30 times this year -- and service likely won't expand until the often-delayed Xanadu entertainment complex is finished" (Bergen RECORD, 8/17).
GRASS ISN'T GREENER: In California, Gary Peterson wrote the playing surface at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for Sunday's White Sox-A's game "looked swell ... if you like lime-colored grass and test patterns." The outfield turf was "discolored from foul line to foul line, courtesy of the temporary bleachers deployed" for Thursday's Cowboys-Raiders exhibition game, and there was a "big square where the grass was almost as dead as the complete game." The football grid also was "still visible." Peterson: "It looked bad" (CONTRA COSTA TIMES, 8/17).
TIGERS' DEN: In Memphis, Phil Stukenborg reported the Univ. of Memphis (UM) is installing an artificial turf practice field for its football team, and it is "estimated the project will take 6-to-8 weeks to complete." The cost is "expected to be between" $600,000-800,000. Meanwhile, UM AD R.C. Johnson said that construction on the team's new weight room will "begin in October or November and take 10 months to complete" (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 8/16).
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