Cleveland Mayor Michael White has called for the Browns'
new stadium to be a domed facility tied to an NFL theme park and
new convention center. White said he was not sure how much more
the project would cost above the $220M now planned, but he said
by April 1, "we'll either have the funding, or we won't." There
is a provision in the agreement with the NFL that Cleveland
could be recommended as a Super Bowl if it builds a dome (Richard
McBane, Akron BEACON JOURNAL, 2/11). The Ohio Poll, conducted by
the Univ. of Cincinnati, shows that only 31% of state voters
favor the use of state funds to build new sports stadiums.
However, by a slim 50-47% margin, voters favor sport lotteries to
help fund new facilities. Use of state funds was opposed in both
Cleveland and Cincinnati (THE DAILY).
DAWG-GONE HAPPY: A specific term of the agreement requires
that a 10,000 seat bleacher section "identical to the Dawg Pound"
be included in one of the end zones of the new stadium. Also,
the deal "expressly forbids" the city or future owner of the
Browns from forcing Dawg Pound patrons to buy PSLs (Bart Hubbuch,
BEACON JOURNAL, 2/11).
