In N.Y., Yoav Gonen notes the city is owed more than $100M in "unpaid rent, taxes and interest on parking lots at Yankee Stadium constructed nearly a decade ago -- with no payment in sight." Bronx Parking Development, which runs the facilities, has lost at least $28M a year in "each of the past three years because not enough Yankee fans are willing to pay as much as $45 to park there for a single game." The Yankees insisted they "needed thousands of additional parking spots for fans when the new stadium was built, so about 9,100 spaces were created or preserved" in '10. The team has "no financial stake in the parking facilities" (N.Y. POST, 10/26).
CHANGES COMING: In Atlanta, Tim Tucker notes some "temporary changes will be made in and around Mercedes-Benz Stadium before the Super Bowl is played there Feb. 3." New broadcast booths will be "built to accommodate international networks, including some on the popular sky-bridges in front of the wall of windows at the stadium’s east end." The sky-bridges will "remain accessible to fans at the Super Bowl on the back side, or city-view side, of the temporary broadcast booths" (AJC.com, 10/25).
DANCING AROUND THE ISSUE: FC Cincinnati President & GM Jeff Berding said that the Cincinnati Ballet is pressuring the team to pay the dance organization $1M for "land it doesn't own, knowing the team needs at least some of the land it uses" for an MLS stadium. Berding, the ballet's landlord, "said no, prompting the ballet to make their case public." However, Cincinnati Ballet President & CEO Scott Altman said that the organization "never authorized" anyone to request $1M from FC Cincinnati, and the ballet "doesn't want to move from its West End location," where the stadium is planned (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 10/26).
