In Jacksonville, Ron Littlepage wrote Jaguars President Mark Lamping made "a compelling case" for why the team wants to add two new scoreboards to EverBank Field at a cost of $50M. What the Jaguars are proposing “would be the talk of the football world -- the biggest scoreboards in the country that would be about 52 feet high and 348 feet wide." Lamping said that one of the “keys to success for the Jaguars, besides putting a good team on the field, is fan experience" (JACKSONVILLE.com, 3/10).
REPAVING TOBACCO ROAD: In North Carolina, Owen Covington reported Greensboro Coliseum as part of an $8.5M first phase of renovations has 9,000 "wider, cushioned seats with more leg room.” The upgrade is part of an overall $24M package of "upgrades and expansions at the complex" slated to be completed by '16. Coliseum Managing Dir Matt Brown said that the work “was completed on time” for the start of the ACC’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments (BIZJOURNALS.com, 3/11).
MAKE A LITTLE BIRDHOUSE: In Atlanta, Greg Bluestein wrote Falcons Owner Arthur Blank should “count himself lucky he’s on the verge of getting any public funding" for a new $1B stadium. The team’s “tentative agreement" with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed for $200M in public funds "comes amid growing public backlash for using taxpayer support to finance pro football facilities.” It “wasn’t so long ago that the public picked up the entire tab on many stadiums," as the Georgia Dome was 100% "publicly funded" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/11).
