In San Diego, Peter Rowe reported the city "is considering a new contract for food and drink" at Qualcomm Stadium. Under the existing agreement with concessionaire Centerplate, Qualcomm’s restaurants and bars "focus on industrial beers from distant cities." Only "two area breweries are represented: San Diego’s Green Flash and Orange County-based Oggi’s." Bids for the new contract "were due in February and are expected to go before the City Council’s budget committee." After that committee votes, the full council "will vote" (UTSANDIEGO.com, 3/30).
SHOT IN THE DARK? In Ft. Worth, Robert Cadwallader reports the city of Mansfield, Texas, and the Stars "are discussing a deal to build the club’s eighth Dr Pepper StarCenter" in the city. But city officials said that it is "still a long shot." The parties "are far apart on the lease finances in what likely would be a public-private partnership similar to the city’s contracts" with Big League Dream sports park and Hawaiian Falls water park (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 3/31).
AQUA FRESH: In Miami, Adam Beasley reports the "bright aqua chairs are now going in" at Sun Life Stadium. Construction crews last week "put in the brackets for the first of some 65,000 seats in the Dolphins’ renovated home stadium -- a process that cannot take more than five months." Work on the stadium’s seating bowl "has to be done in time for the Dolphins’ first home preseason game" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/31).
HUNTING SEASON: In West Palm Beach, Joe Capozzi reports Indianapolis-based Hunt Construction was “named construction manager” of the new $135M Spring Training facility for the Astros and Nationals, “beating out four other companies after a day of interviews with a three-person selection committee.” Hunt's team on the West Palm Beach baseball project “will include three other South Florida builders: Straticon, Messam and Cooper.” The project “will be built with a combination of state, county and team money” (PALM BEACH POST, 3/31).
