Redskins officials yesterday said that they expect construction on their new Richmond training camp site to be "completed by the end of June," according to Mark Maske of the WASHINGTON POST. Exec VP & GM Bruce Allen said that the team is "pleased with the results so far." The two-story building adjacent to the practice fields "remains under construction, with work still to be done on the team’s locker room, weight room and trainers’ room that will be on the building’s bottom floor." But things are "shaping up" with the Redskins beginning training camp July 25. The Redskins "agreed to an eight-year deal for the team to hold its training camp in Richmond." Team officials said that the agreement does "not contain an exit clause." Allen said he and other Redskins officials were “very hands-on” in the planning of the facility (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/20). The AP's Hank Kurz Jr. noted the site features "two full-size football fields and another grassy area where the team will do drill work." Plans also call for "VIP and media tents, spectator areas and eventually, an indoor practice building." Paving the parking lot will "begin June 1." Meanwhile, Richmond estimates the camp will bring "as many as 100,000 fans and estimates the economic impact of hosting the camp" at $8.5M annually (AP, 5/20). Suzette Denslow, the Chief of Staff for Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones, said that city officials are "still working out" parking arrangements, including "continuing talks with the state about the possibility of using nearby space at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and the state’s fleet-management yard." Double-A Eastern League Richmond Flying Squirrels VP & COO Todd Parnell said that there also have been negotiations on "using the parking lot at The Diamond on North Boulevard and shuttling fans back and forth" (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 5/21).
