Hillsborough (Fla.) County Commissioner Ken Hagan said that the Rays are "pushing Hillsborough officials to present a financing 'structure' for a new ballpark before its deal to look for a home outside of St. Petersburg runs out Dec. 31." In Tampa, Christopher O'Donnell notes the plan "would detail how a new stadium will be paid for and provide long-awaited answers about how much the team is willing to contribute." Hagan said that serious negotiations with the Rays are "expected to start in the 'near future'" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 9/13).
MATTER SETTLED: In Atlanta, Meris Lutz noted Cobb County commissioners have approved a settlement in which the Braves "will pay Cobb County more than a million dollars to cover water and sewer" at SunTrust Park, which was publicly-financed. The amount Cobb will collect is less than the $1.5M it "originally claimed the Braves owed." The settlement ends the "most significant contract dispute between the Braves and the county" since the ballpark opened last year. The dispute "involved a relatively minor sum, but it represented the kind of unforeseen, ongoing costs that many in Cobb feared when the commission pledged" some $400M in tax dollars to the project in '13 (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 9/12).
FEELING GENEROUS: In Champaign, Scott Richey notes real estate investment company CA Ventures donated $2.5M to the Univ. of Illinois' football facility project, bringing the school "within striking distance" of its initial fundraising goal of $30M. Fundraising efforts for the project are now at $28.175M (Champaign NEWS-GAZETTE, 9/13).
