In El Paso, Bret Bloomquist reported the planned $15M upgrade to Sun Bowl Stadium is "set to be done" for the '20 football season instead of the anticipated '19 completion date. UTEP AD Jim Senter "cited cost overruns for the delay." While the first part of the upgrade was done prior to the '18 season, the remainder includes the "installation of luxury boxes in a new press facility, renovation of concourses and addition of premium seating on the west side of the stadium" (EL PASO TIMES, 3/26).
THE GOOD & THE BAD: SunTrust Park in '18 brought in $6.5M for Cobb County (Ga.) schools from "sales and property taxes last year, a bright spot for the county that nevertheless does not change the ballpark’s cost burden to taxpayers." In addition to the money for schools, ballpark sales taxes also raised $2.5M for a county program which goes to "fund specific voter-approved projects, mostly transportation-oriented." The county's cost for the ballpark in '18 was $25M, all but $3M of which "went to debt service payments" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/26).
SMALL TOWN, USA: Cadillac, Mich.; Calumet, Mich.; Eagle River, Wisc.; and Sartell, Minn., are the four finalists for the title of Kraft Hockeyville USA '19, a sweepstakes hosted by the NHL, NHLPA and Kraft Heinz "designed to support local ice rinks and promote hockey in communities across the United States." Both Cadillac’s Wexford County Civic Center and Calumet’s Colosseum were "named finalists on Sunday." The Eagle River Sports Arena and Bernicks Arena in Sartell are "also in the running" (MLIVE.com, 3/25).
