In L.A., Zahniser & Connell reported AEG has "offered to kick in lease payments for use of city land as part of a financing deal" for Farmers Field, the planned NFL-ready stadium in downtown L.A. AEG lists rent from a proposed ground lease as "part of the revenues that would be used to repay" the $325-350M in city bonds that would be issued for the project. A three-page document submitted by AEG to city negotiators last night "does not indicate how much would be derived from a long-term lease" (LATIMES.com, 2/16).
SPRINGING TO LIFE: In Boston, Nick Cafardo noted there is "lots of work left to be done" on the Red Sox' new Spring Training complex in Ft. Myers, Fla., but the ballpark and surroundings "should be beautiful." Lee County Project Manager Bob Taylor "anticipates a completion date of January, 2012, more than a month before spring training is scheduled to begin next season." The 11,000-seat ballpark will have 3,500 parking spots, and there also will be a "few soccer fields which will be used for local amateur teams and double as extra parking." Cafardo noted there "should be a Patriots Place type feel to it when all is said and done, with lots of space to have a substantial retail presence" (BOSTON.com, 2/16).
MAKING PLANS FOR A SKI VACATION: In London, Jacquelin Magnay reported under a proposal from Acer Snowmec, a "snowdome might be the exotic legacy for the London 2012 international broadcast and media centre at Olympic Park." Acer Snowmec Managing Dir Malcolm Clulow said that the firm's "snow-in-the-city plan for the Olympics broadcast and media centre is for a large area incorporating five artificial indoor ski slopes." Clulow added that the "proposed 28,500 sq metre snow sports and leisure complex included other retail outlets and a hotel and he envisaged at least a million visitors a year" (London TELEGRAPH, 2/16).
ON SECOND THOUGHT: ESPN.com's Stephen Tignor wrote the French Tennis Federation "should have moved" the French Open because the Grand Slam tennis event "has outgrown" Roland Garros. It is "difficult to appreciate and enjoy the atmosphere amid the crowds that pile into each side court and jam every walkway." While the FFT elected to keep the tournament in Paris, Tignor wrote Versailles "would have made a spectacular location, and it isn't an overly long distance from the city." Roland Garros "is a wonderful spot, but the French Open would flourish anywhere in France" (ESPN.com, 2/15).
