In Sacramento, Ryan Lillis reports the City Council is being "asked to write its first big check for the development of a new downtown sports arena." City development staff will "ask the council at its meeting Tuesday night to free up" $6.5M in cash, some of which will be "used to hire a team of financial, design and legal consultants." The money is "included within" the $258M subsidy the city has proposed contributing to the $448M arena project at Downtown Plaza. Of the funding, city staff has "proposed using" $1.78M for consultants. The rest of the money would be "used for the construction of the arena if a final financing and development plan is approved by the council following the completion of an environmental review next year" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 6/21).
BUSINESS BOON: A Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL editorial stated Daytona Int'l Speedway's plan to renovate the front stretch "augurs well for the future of the Speedway -- and Daytona Beach." The project "likely will mark the beginning of major new commercial development on the western end of the city's International Speedway Boulevard corridor." But "jobs -- and more jobs -- will be the theme after the first shovel is turned." It "hardly needs saying that all this represents a major investment in the future of the track and the Daytona Beach area" (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 6/19).
LOOKING AHEAD: Oilers President & CEO Patrick LaForge said that the "final blueprint" for the team's new downtown arena will be "in their hands in late September, with construction manager PCL then having four weeks to come to a price tag." In Edmonton, David Staples noted PCL’s mandate is to "not go over" the C$480M price "set by city council and the Katz Group." Once a price is "guaranteed, the construction company must pay for over runs." Ground will be "broken in January 2014, with construction lasting 29 months and the new arena opening in September 2016, for the 2016-17 season" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 6/20).
NOT SO NEW: In Winnipeg, Bartley Kives notes the concrete slabs on the concourse at Investors Group Field are "beset with cracks, described as cosmetic" by venue builder BBB Stadium Chair Phil Sheegl. CFL Blue Bombers Dir of Communications & Media Relations Darren Cameron in a statement said that there are "no structural concerns regarding the cracks in the slab concrete." Sheegl said that the Blue Bombers will "not be on the hook for maintaining the concrete" (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 6/21).
