The Memphis City Council yesterday approved a plan that will see the Univ. of Memphis and FedEx “help fund $9 million in improvements to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium,” according to Kyle Veazey of the Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL. Under the plan, the city “will apply to the state for Tourist Development Zone status for the Fairgrounds area, allowing tax revenues to be spent to pay off the bonds that will fund the improvements.” Officials did not seem “overly concerned that receiving TDZ status from the state would be difficult, but the university is offering a $500,000 annual guarantee over 15 years in case there is a snag and FedEx plans to cover the costs for a $2.5 million video board.” Officials hope improvements “are ready in time for the Tigers’ Sept. 1 opener.” Memphis AD R.C. Johnson said discussions about how to improve the stadium have been going on for years, but that “getting in the Big East and getting the television revenue kind of pushed us over the top” in terms of contributing a guarantee to the project (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 4/4).
MOUNTAIN VIEWS: In Denver, Monte Whaley noted three sites on the south section of the Colorado State Univ. campus “are being considered as potential spots for a football stadium to replace aging Hughes Stadium.” All three are “about 12 acres and potentially meet criteria spelled out by CSU president Tony Frank: Any new stadium should not intrude on existing open space or interfere with anyone's view of the mountains.” Frank also said that “no public funds would be used to build the structure, which could run from $100 million to $200 million” (DENVER POST, 4/3).
